Thirty Days
by CanaryCry
Summary: The 30 Day OTP Challenge, with the Birdflash pairing (and some Nightflash). PG-rated up to day 11, inclusive.
1. Day 1: Holding Hands

**Day 1: Holding Hands**

It was hard to pinpoint the exact moment when the mission went wrong. Maybe it had been doomed from the start. It didn't matter.

Robin and Kid Flash were racing through corridors, each indistinguishable from the last, passing a rebreather back and forth. Robin had Kid Flash's hand in a firm grip. They could barely see three feet ahead of them.

"I could run us out of here," Kid Flash said through the rebreather.

"No," Robin said firmly, tugging him along. "You'll smack us into a wall and lose the rebreather and then we'll be in trouble."

Kid Flash passed Robin the rebreather. "If you say so."

"Trust me." Robin took in a deep breath of filtered air before passing it back. The team was waiting for them outside the building somewhere; Robin had insisted they stay away. It wouldn't do anyone any good if more people inhaled whatever this stuff was. Kid Flash vowed to carry a rebreather everywhere he went from now on.

Despite the crappiness of the situation, though, the whole hand-holding thing was pretty nice.

Robin kicked down a door and the pair stumbled out into the fresh, night air. The rush of clean oxygen made Kid Flash feel a little light-headed. Robin laughed weakly beside him.

"You know," said Kid Flash, taking out the rebreather, "I could get used to this."

"I thought we already were."

"Not the whole getting ourselves into dangerous situations thing," Kid Flash clarified. "Got used to that years ago. I mean _this_." He squeezed Robin's hand. Robin shoved him, but the grin on his face told Kid Flash all he needed to know.


	2. Day 2: Cuddling Somewhere

**Day 2: Cuddling Somewhere**

The whole team was feeling a little flat tonight. Coming down from the hallucinations brought on by Scarecrow's fear gas could do that. M'gann had dredged up some cookies Wally hadn't eaten yet, but since nobody really felt up to eating them, Wally ended up eating them all by himself anyway. Both Dick and Artemis had smacked his hand away when he tried offering them one.

The team slowly drifted out of the sitting room. Dick showed no signs of moving, instead staring blankly at the television static, sunglasses slipping down his nose.

"Did you… want to watch something?" Wally asked him.

"No." Dick's voice came out strained, and barely more than a whisper. Wally couldn't blame him; he wasn't feeling too great himself. At least the cookies had made him feel a little better. Of course, that could just be a temporary sugar rush.

"Did you, uh, want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay, that's cool," Wally said, deliberately trying to keep his voice light. "So, you staying over tonight?"

Dick shrugged. "I guess." Batman had gone back out to follow the Scarecrow's trail. The Team had gotten close to apprehending him, but had been overwhelmed by the fear gas before they could get their hands on him. Wally—Kid Flash—had been the first to wake, owing to his metabolism, at which point he noticed Robin had gotten as far as pulling out the antidote before being overcome. Kid Flash dosed him first; Robin had more experience treating exposure to the gas than he did. At least, that's how Kid Flash had rationalised it at the time and it totally had nothing to do with what he'd seen before the gas wore off, no siree.

"Everyone's gone," said Wally. "You can take off the glasses if you want."

Dick ignored him. Wally melted against the couch with a sigh. The team had kept it together well enough until they'd suffered through the debriefing and collectively fell into the living area. Then the cookies came out and Wally spent a few minutes eating his feelings until everyone gathered the energy to get up and go to bed, except for him and Dick.

"You can go to bed, you know," Dick said quietly.

"You first."

Dick's laugh died after a single _ha_. "Not fucking likely."

"Such language! What would Alfred say?"

"Wally, I will hit you."

"Is that the way to treat your saviour?"

"Call yourself that again, and yes."

Okay, humour wasn't working. Well, it had been worth a try. Wally turned off the TV; the static was starting to bother him. Dick sagged bonelessly against the back of the couch, mirroring Wally's position. Wally scooted closer.

"You look like you could use a hug."

"Whatever. I don't care." Dick didn't react when Wally slung an arm over his shoulders, so Wally tugged him closer. He was all shivery. Wally gave him a squeeze, which prompted him to bury his face in Wally's sweater. He kicked off his shoes and all but climbed into Wally's lap.

"Oh! Uh. Okay." Wally must have found the _cuddle_ button. Not that he was complaining. After seeing Dick, among other people, disappear in Wally's dream world, maybe this was exactly what he needed. What they both needed.

Over time, Dick's shivers subsided.


	3. Day 3: GamingWatching a Movie

**Day 3: Gaming/Watching a Movie (I went with gaming)**

Wally watched his character die for the tenth time at Dick's hands. "You're cheating. You have to be."

Dick threw his head back in laughter. The instant he respawned, Wally seized his chance to kill Dick's character, but Dick snapped to attention just in time to defend himself and smack Wally's character down with a headshot.

"Son of a—"

"How about I just camp the respawn site and save us some time?" Dick cackled.

" _Don't you dare_."

"Take back what you said about cheating and I'll think about it."

"Okay, I'm sorry I accused you of cheating. Now _get away from me_."

"But did you really mean it?" Dick said solemnly, shooting Wally's character the instant he respawned. "Have you changed your mind about whether or not you believe I'm cheating, or do you just want me to stop camping your respawn site? Have you searched your soul for forgiveness? Do you accept me as your Lord and—"

"Oh my God."

"So you do?"

"Jesus Christ, Dick."

"One name will do." Dick killed Wally's character again.

"Aw, screw this. I'm out." Wally quit the game. Dick laughed at his frown.

"Have I told you you're my best friend lately?" he said sweetly.

"I'm only your best friend because nobody else will play video games with you," Wally grumbled, though the effect was ruined by the fact he was trying and failing to hide a smile.

Dick tossed his controller aside, rolled across the floor to where Wally sat, and kissed him on the cheek. "And I'm very thankful."

"Oh? How thankful?"

"Thankful enough that I might not try to kill you more than… let's say three times… if we play Portal 2 co-op."

"As long as you let me press the buttons while you have to go through the risky parts at my mercy, I'm game." Wally bundled up his courage and reciprocated the kiss with one on Dick's cheek. He didn't miss how Dick's face turned pink in response.


	4. Day 4: On a Date

**Day 4: On a Date**

Going to a pizza place in Central City had been a last-minute decision. Dick had texted Wally an address ten minutes in advance, and was waiting in a booth in the corner when Wally dashed inside.

"We need to work on your texting etiquette," he said, sliding into the booth.

"You're my boyfriend, not a business associate." Dick, from behind his sunglasses, typed something into his phone before putting it in his pocket. "Menu." He shoved the laminated sheet across the table.

Wally glanced at it. "Aw, let's just get a bit of everything."

Dick threw some cash at him. "Go for your life."

"You spoil me."

Dick shooed him, phone out again. Wally was tempted to ask what he was doing with it, but on the off-chance Dick decided to tell him he'd probably dress it up in fancy terms in an effort to confuse him. Better to stick to getting pizza.

The cashier balked a bit at the size of Wally's order. He was used to it. He threw the change at Dick as he sat back down. Dick, of course, managed to catch it all.

"Tip." He threw a few coins back at Wally.

"Yes, Your Highness."

He was nose-deep in his phone again by the time Wally had dropped the coins into a tip jar. Wally finally took the bait.

"Okay, what exactly are you doing?"

"Work."

"Real specific, babe. Thanks."

Dick jerked a little at the word _babe_. Wally felt his cheeks heat up. He hadn't meant to say it; it just slipped out. Dick tapped a few more words out before putting the phone back in his pocket with an air of finality.

"So…"

"Yeah," Wally replied. "This, uh, is a date, right?"

"That was the plan, unless…"

"No, no, I'm cool with that."

Silence reigned for a good five minutes.

"What do normal people even do on dates?" Dick finally asked. "I mean, aside from eat food and try not to embarrass themselves."

"Uhhh, you know. They get to know each other."

"I think we're well past that stage, Wally."

Maybe where they were falling down was in considering this date wholly different from all the other times they'd spent together before. Did their relationship have to be all that distinct from their friendship anyway? They'd barely started this date; it wouldn't be too hard to turn it around.

Wally started by stealing Dick's sunglasses. Dick swiped half-heartedly at the offending hand, before he sighed and crossed his arms. Wally put the sunglasses on.

"What do you think?"

"They don't go with your face."

"Of course they go with my face. Everything goes with my face. You glasses are blessed to be in the company of such a fine face."

Dick cracked a small smile. "Is that so?"

"Well, yeah. Do you have any better ideas of what should go on my face?"

"My own face comes to mind."

"Dude, that was so smooth I think I'm gonna fall over."

"Shh." Dick kissed his temple.

"Well, that was disappointing."

"We're in public, Wals."

"And?"

"And I refuse to let us become that annoying couple that makes people want to vomit because we don't know when enough PDA is enough." Dick made a grab for his sunglasses, but Wally managed to dodge him. " _Wally_."

"Yes, dear?"

"Give me back my sunglasses."

"Hmm, I don't know…"

"Fine, I'll kiss you in public. Just _give them back_."

"Promise."

"Oh, for the love of…" Dick grabbed Wally by the chin, planted a kiss on his lips, and then shoved his face away. He held out his hand for the glasses. Wally had to take a moment before he handed them back. Dick stuffed them into his shirt pocket.

And it was at that moment the food arrived.

Dick waved a plate of pizza under Wally's nose. "Wake up."

Wally really needed some food in him _right now_ or he might just faint. Dick hid his face behind a slice of pizza, snickering at him. Well, that had certainly been an icebreaker. Maybe this whole dating thing would work out after all. Things didn't have to be drastically different just because their relationship had evolved. Changes would come naturally with time. There was no need to force them.

And, as always, stealing Dick's sunglasses was oodles of fun.


	5. Day 5: Kissing

**Day 5: Kissing**

Dick was working. Dick had been working for five hours straight. Dick had been working for five hours straight without taking a break to pee or eat. Wally felt restless just looking at him.

"You're gonna work right through dinner at this rate," Wally complained, flopping down on Dick's bed. Dick made an annoyed sound through his nose, hunching even deeper over his desk. "What are you even _doing_?"

"Planning your death," Dick snapped. "Now shut up."

Wally rolled off the bed. "Okay, whatever you're doing is totally stressing you out. Wasn't there some study that proved people are only productive for a short amount of time before they switch off or something?"

"I'll switch you off if you don't go away," Dick said through his teeth. Bruce had banned him from the cave while he was recovering from a stab wound some goon gave him last patrol. Dick had been downright painful to be around since then, but Wally was a trooper.

"I'll shut up if you take a piss and agree to take a break for dinner."

"I'm fine," Dick grumbled, not even looking up from his laptop.

"You haven't eaten or peed in _five hours_ , Dick. You're gonna give yourself a urinary tract infection or something."

Dick growled in a poor imitation of Batman and pulled himself up, using the desk to balance him. The stab wound was in his thigh and had completely thrown off his groove. His lack of mobility was probably one of the many reasons why he was in such a bad mood.

"Fine. Stay."

"I wasn't really planning to watch you pee."

"Who knows what you're planning?" Dick disappeared into his bathroom. Wally saved Dick's work and shut the laptop. Dick really did need a break, and Wally was fully prepared to use his wiles to get him to take one.

Dick emerged from the bathroom, almost toppling forward. Luckily, Wally was there to catch him. Dick let out a long sigh and sagged in Wally's arms.

"You really could use a break, babe."

Dick glared up at him. "Did Alfred put you up to this?"

Wally kissed the crease between his eyebrows. "Not this time." When he was done, Dick's expression had softened a little.

Wally pressed his advantage, capturing the younger boy's lips in a feather-light kiss, which Dick then deepened until Wally stumbled backwards and hit the bed, bringing both of them down on the mattress. Dick pulled back, wincing, and Wally pushed him up onto the bed properly.

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself," Wally said, climbing up to join him. Dick rolled his eyes, but he made no attempt to get up. Wally had won this round.


	6. Day 6: Wearing Each Other's Clothes

**Day 6: Wearing Each Other's Clothes**

"Tell me again why I thought this was a good idea?" said Wally, checking out his ass in the closet mirror. The Nightwing suit was flattering, all right, but showing up at a Halloween party wearing Dick's clothes while Dick wore his was going to do anything to quash the rumours about them.

"You wanted to get into my pants," Dick said brightly, pulling on the red gloves from Wally's Kid Flash suit.

"This wasn't what I meant." He caught the boots Dick threw at him. "People already talk about us enough."

"Well, they're not exactly wrong, are they?"

Wally sighed dramatically and sat on the bed to pull Dick's boots on. "Fine, you win. You _do_ look pretty hot in my clothes…"

Dick flicked his nose. "Down, boy. We have to be at the Watchtower in ten minutes."

"This was Clark's idea, wasn't it?"

Dick snorted. "Hardly. It was mine."

"And they went for it? _Batman_ included?"

"I told him last. He couldn't exactly say no to half the League and the entire Team, could he?"

"How hard did you have to twist his arm?"

"Not as hard as you'd think. I caught him before his morning coffee."

"You're diabolical," Wally said in awe.

"It was Tim's idea," Dick replied, pulling on the cowl. "Pass me the goggles, dear."

"Here you go, sugartits."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Of all the—whatever. Put my mask on and let's go."


	7. Day 7: Cosplaying

**Day 7: Cosplaying**

" **I don't even wanna know what you two were doing that took so long,"** Artemis said over Miss Martian's psychic link.

" **We had to duel for Deadpool,"** Kid Flash replied.

" **I take it Robin won?"**

" **Well, yeah, but he's too short for the costume so I ended up winning by default anyway."**

Robin grumbled to himself as he pulled his Spider-Man mask down over his head. Kid Flash snickered.

"Don't make me hit you," Robin muttered.

"Getting in character already?"

"Shut up and focus on the mission." Robin had _really_ wanted to be Deadpool, okay? Not that it mattered in the end. They were there to catch a guy who was going around and murdering cosplayers. The rest of the team was stationed in other parts of the building, all disguised. If this guy showed his face, they'd catch him.

Robin scanned the crowd, ignoring the cloth-covered kiss Kid Flash pressed onto his cheek. At least he thought it was a kiss. Kid Flash could've been trying to nuzzle him for all he knew.

Then, Robin spotted him. The guy was unremarkable, really, dressed in a Captain America t-shirt and chatting up a girl dressed as Black Widow. His lack of defining features was what had kept him out of prison for so long. Of course, he had to know he was a wanted man so the fact that he was still up to his old tricks spoke volumes of his arrogance. Or unintelligence. Or maybe both.

" **Got eyes on our target,"** said Robin. **"KF, cover the exits. Who's closest to us?"**

" **Coming,"** said Superboy.

" **Miss Martian, cloak and follow our target,"** ordered Aqualad. **"The rest of us will cover any remaining escape routes. Robin, Superboy, get him away from civilians before apprehending if possible."**

" **Gotcha. Moving in."** Robin worked his way through the crowd, sparing a thumbs-up for a pair of children but otherwise keeping his eyes on the target. The killer and his mark started walking toward the front door together. Bold of him. Robin updated the team on their movements. The size of the crowd afforded Robin some anonymity, so he didn't have to be too worried about his quarry spotting him.

They were almost to the door when Kid Flash, as Deadpool, leapt in front of him. Robin wasn't quite close enough to hear him talking, but given the wild gestures that earned a laugh from the girl, he was following the lead of countless Deadpool cosplayers who had come before him and earned minor fame on the internet when videos of their antics ended up online.

That gave Robin and Superboy—who was dressed as himself, funnily enough—the time they needed to catch up. The killer had his hand on the girl's elbow and was trying to subtly tug her away. Kid Flash kept stepping in the way whenever the killer tried to scoot around him.

"Hey, Widow," Robin said. "That's a sweet costume. Aren't you gonna stick around for the contest?"

"The prizes they give out are crap," said the killer.

"Not the point, dude," Robin replied. "Besides, shouldn't you let the lady answer for herself?"

"Actually, that sounds like fun," said the girl.

"Sign-up's across the hall." Robin pointed in the general direction. "There's not a lot of time if you want to get in on the action."

"Thanks, Spider-Man."

The killer's face was turning red. "But we were—"

"Raincheck?"

"I fly out of Gotham tomorrow," said the killer. "You want that coffee? It's gotta be now."

"He sounds desperate," Kid Flash stage-whispered.

"Mind your own damn business, asshole."

"Hey, no need to get snappy," said Robin. "You could hurt a guy's feelings throwing around that language."

The killer elected to ignore them and turned back to the girl. "Come on, lady. I'm buying."

The girl was starting to look like she really regretted saying _yes_ to the guy in the first place. "Sorry. It's my first con and I just want to—"

"I could show you around instead?" the guy offered. "I've been to loads of these places before." He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but Superboy grabbed his arm.

"She said no," he growled.

"Hey, chill out, man. I wasn't going to hit her or anything."

"Not in public anyway," Robin added. He addressed the girl: "This guy's been to a lot of cons before because he likes picking up and killing cosplayers. We're here to stop him." He placed an automatic call with the wristwatch computer that looked terribly out of place with the rest of his costume. "Police are on the way. They'll probably want to take your statement."

"You son of a—" The killer lunged for Robin, but Superboy jerked him back by the arm and twisted it behind his back.

"You're not going anywhere," said Robin. "The authorities have been looking for you all over the country."

"If you hadn't tried for one more victim, you might've gotten away with it," Kid Flash added. "Hooray for dumb criminals?"

"Who the hell _are_ you three?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You'll have plenty of time to ponder that with the sentence you're looking at." Dick smirked but, sadly, he was the only person who could tell behind the mask.

The police arrived shortly thereafter and the team left the Black Widow cosplayer in the care of the police. Nearly getting murdered had probably ruined her day, but at least she would have more days to make up for it.

" **Good work, team,"** said Aqualad.

"We should stick around," Kid Flash whispered in Dick's ear. "I've always wanted to go to one of these."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Wanna find some Spideypool fangirls and make their day?"

Robin snorted and didn't dignify that with a response. **"KF and I are gonna stick around for a bit,"** he told the team at large.

" **That sounds like a great idea,"** said Miss Martian. **"We could all use a break."**

"' **Kay, but Robin's all mine."** Kid Flash laughed maniacally and dragged Robin off to enjoy the rest of the con, leaving the team in a mix of emotions ranging from exasperation and amusement.

" **Called it,"** said Artemis.


	8. Day 8: Shopping

**Day 8: Shopping**

"I don't think this counts as Christmas shopping," Wally said, hanging off the end of Dick's bed while Dick sat beside him, laptop in his lap, scrolling through some archery site. "It's the middle of September, dude."

"Bruce and Alfred won't pity me I leave this too long," Dick replied, clicking on an item that looked interesting. "Besides, I haven't bought anything yet. Artemis probably gets archery-related gifts all the time. I've got to get this _right_."

"Didn't her microwave break the other day? You could always get her a new one."

"Already did that. It should be at her house tomorrow. But that's not a Christmas present. That's an _I can afford it so of course going to help you out_ present."

"You're creepily efficient sometimes, you know that?"

"I'm pretty sure that creepy efficiency has saved your life at least seven times this year."

"Yeah, yeah, don't have to rub it in."

"Maybe I'll knock one off the _you owe me one_ tally if you help me figure out a present for Artemis."

Wally shrugged.

"Dude, you _dated_ her."

"I always went for chocolate when I couldn't think of anything to get her. Um… she's always losing her hair-ties. Why not just buy her a massive box of those?"

Dick snorted, closing the website. "You're hopeless."

Wally flopped onto Dick's shoulder, resting his chin there. "Giving up?"

Dick tapped Wally's nose with a finger. "For now. This is why everybody should start figuring this out months in advance. What about M'gann? Got any expert tips on presents for her?"

"Isn't there some _Hello, Megan!_ anniversary box set coming out soon?"

"I'll talk to Conner before I order that, just in case. But good idea."

"I can be useful sometimes."

"Yes, Wally."

"Did you just pull a _yes, dear_ on me?"

Dick smirked a little, finding the box set and saving the page for later. "I don't remember calling you _dear_ , but okay."

"My dad does the same thing to Mum sometimes. Come on."

"Yes, dear."

"I hate you so much," Wally groaned into Dick's shoulder. Dick ran his fingers through the other boy's hair. Wally sighed into his touch and all the remaining tension rolled out of his body, leaving Dick semi-trapped under a speedster whose body had gained several properties generally possessed by non-Newtonian fluids.

"No you don't," he said smugly, blowing a raspberry into Wally's scalp.


	9. Day 9: Hanging Out With Friends

**Day 9: Hanging Out With Friends**

"When I said we should hang out more, this isn't what I meant," Wally said, watching Dick swing backwards and forwards to build up enough momentum to reach the branch the entire team was tied to, including him. Unfortunately, they were in civvies so any obvious superpower use was out of the question.

" **This'd be so much easier if they weren't watching us,"** Dick said through the psychic link, falling still as an armed goon walked past them. He wasn't a hundred per cent sure this was the Penguin's work, but whoever had ordered this kidnapping had some interest in either birds or bats. Or possibly sloths. They hang upside-down from trees sometimes, don't they?

" **We'd already be free if they left us alone,"** Conner replied.

" **I activated my emergency beacon as soon as they grabbed us,"** said Dick. **"Batman'll get us out of this if we're still stuck by the time he gets here."**

" **You sound so excited,"** said Artemis.

" **I'm practically buzzing with the stuff,"** Dick replied dryly. **"I especially look forward to being tied to a pole in the Batcave until I figure out how to untie myself without attracting attention."** He made another swing for the branch, but had to stop again when another goon walked by. **"I hate being a civilian hostage."**

" **But you like being tied up in costume?"** Wally said incredulously.

" **It certainly beats this."**

" **Can't argue with that."**

" **M'gann, can you levitate all of us out of here?"** asked Kaldur.

" **Not without making a racket,"** M'gann replied. **"I could free myself with telekinesis and cloak so I can free the rest of you, but if anybody notices I'm gone, they could get violent."**

" **Wait until the next patrol passes,"** Kaldur advised.

The patrol walked by and M'gann telekinetically unknotted the rope around her feet. Dick finally managed to swing up to the branch and hook his legs around it so he was hanging from the branch directly. While M'gann freed the others, he reached upwards and untied his own bonds.

Just as the team was about to head for the door, a dark shape stepped in. While the team tensed, Dick relaxed. He knew that shape well.

"Took you long enough," he whispered. "Is the way clear?"

"Yes. Good work freeing yourselves."

Wally gave Dick a high-five as the team filed out of the room in Batman's wake.

" **You should ask him to let you stay over at my place while he's in a good mood,"** Wally said through the link.

" **I'll think about it."**


	10. Day 10: With Animal Ears

**Day 10: With Animal Ears**

"I blame you for this," Kid Flash muttered to Robin, scratching at one of the new ginger cat ears on top of his head. Robin was busy examining the locked door for weaknesses to bother responding. His own cat ears itched and twitched, but he resisted the temptation to scratch them. Honestly, he just preferred to pretend they didn't exist right at this moment.

Kid Flash leaned against the wall, watching Robin work. "Why do we always get the weird assignments?"

"Have you walked under a ladder recently?" Robin gently pushed the door to get a sense of its strength. There were no locks or doorknobs on this side, but the door itself seemed quite flimsy. "Hey, KF, feel like being a battering ram?" Robin could probably kick the door open himself, but they'd only get one shot at this before somebody noticed they were trying to escape.

"With pleasure," said Kid Flash, barrelling into the door hard enough to bash it open and propel himself into the hallway wall. He sat up, clutching one of his cat ears.

"Ouch." Robin helped him up. "Can you still hear okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine." His ears twitched, just as Robin heard footsteps. "Someone's coming."

Robin kicked down an armed guard as Kid Flash zoomed off to the other end of the hallway and took out another two. Robin grabbed a set of keys and opened the nearest door. He grabbed his utility belt and put it back on.

"Time to get out of here," he said, snapping the buckle into place.

Kid Flash scratched one of Robin's ears. "You look pretty cute as a kitten."

Robin batted his hand away. "Focus, KF. You can scratch my ears as much as you like once we're out of here."

"You're gonna run to Zatanna as soon as we're out of here," Kid Flash said, following Robin out of the corridor.

"And you won't?"

"Point taken. Now let's take out a wizard."


	11. Day 11: Wearing Kigurumis

**Day 11: Wearing Kigurumis**

It wasn't often they got to relax like this, cuddling on the couch in front of the fireplace with no obligations to pull them away. Dick pulled the hood of his Batman onesie over his head for a while and re-enacted the time Bruce made a criminal wet his pants with just his voice, Wally's laughter bouncing off the walls, until Dick had to stop for the sake of his voice.

Dick slumped back against Wally's chest. "So that was my patrol. What about yours?"

"Nothing special. Barry talked everybody's ears off like always." Wally's hand twitched in the direction of the hood on his Flash onesie, but couldn't be bothered going through with it. The thing was trapped between him and the couch. He was far too happy with Dick lying on him to risk unseating him. Not to mention he'd pay for it later that night when Dick decided to stick his hand in warm water or draw on his face. For all his brains and creativity, Dick had a soft spot for the classics when it came to pranks. Wally did too. They were classics for a reason.

"Run into anybody interesting?" Dick asked him.

"Eh, it was pretty quiet. Stopped a bank robbery but I wouldn't call that interesting."

Dick snorted. "I bet you didn't think that the first time you and Barry did that. I know I was excited. Bruce was freaking out afterwards because one of them pointed a gun at me, even though I took it off him before he could shoot. But now it's so routine. I'm actually disappointed when the rogues rob a bank instead of doing anything interesting."

"We're so jaded."

The conversation died and the two boys lay there for a while. Dick started squirming after a while, until he finally spoke.

"I'm thinking about quitting Robin," he said.

"But you love being Robin. Did something happen with Bruce?"

"Something's always happening with Bruce." Dick shrugged. "I just feel like it's time for a change. I'm spending more time with the team than Batman these days. I'm more independent. I just don't feel like Robin anymore."

"You're not quitting the team, though, are you?"

"Hell, no. I'm not gonna stop fighting crime."

"Does Bruce know?"

"I haven't told him yet, but he probably knows something is up." Dick sat up, twisting around to face Wally. "I still need time to sort things out, so it's not happening right away. Just thought you should have a heads-up."

"Thanks."

"Maybe I'll ditch the cape."

Wally grinned. "It's about time you stopped hiding your magnificent butt behind that thing."

Dick punched his shoulder. "My magnificent butt is gonna get some hot chocolate." He got up. "You coming?"

Wally stared pointedly at Dick's backside, which was mostly hidden inside the baggy clothing. "Right behind you."

Dick leaned down and punched him again. Wally grabbed his wrist and pulled him into his lap for a kiss.


	12. Day 12: Making Out

**A/N: This one is a bit smutty. Dick is seventeen or eighteen.**

* * *

 **Day 12: Making Out**

Wally never would've guessed that on the day Dick got his licence, they'd end up parked on a hill just outside Gotham, making out in the backseat of one of Bruce's expensive cars.

"Please tell me you deactivated Bruce's bugs," Wally said between kisses. Dick chuckled, pressing his lips beneath Wally's jaw, right on the pulse point. Wally gulped audibly.

"'Course I did," Dick murmured. "I left the tracking devices on, though. Otherwise he'd freak out and activate the tracker in my arm and come interrupt us."

"You have a tracker in your—?" The rest of Wally's question was lost against Dick's lips. Of course Dick had a tracker in his arm, being Batman's kid and all. Batman's kid who Wally was currently kissing. Leaving the trackers in the car on was definitely the right call; the last thing either of them needed was a pissed-off Batman coming to Dick's rescue only to be met with… well, an older boy's tongue in his son's mouth. And said older boy's hands on his ass.

Dick climbed into Wally's lap, just barely short enough to avoid banging his head on the roof. Dick was shooting up of late; it was possible he'd be taller than Wally once all his growing was done. Right now, though, he reminded Wally a bit of a giraffe. The kid was all limbs right now; his body had yet to fill out and catch up with his arms and legs. Dick hated it, but Wally thought it was adorable. He'd learned the hard way that cooing at Dick when he was complaining about having to relearn half his training was a one-way ticket to no alone time for a week.

Dick's teeth sank into Wally's bottom lip. Wally didn't know why biting was so hot—like, "oh yes I'm gonna inflict bodily harm on you with my teeth for fun" sounded like something a Gotham rogue would say—but it _was_ and Wally nipped back in retaliation. Dick squirmed in his lap, his tongue swiping at the teeth marks he left that were quickly disappearing because hell yeah speedster healing.

Dick managed to snake his hands under Wally's shirt without breaking the kiss or changing position. Wally yelped into his mouth at first—how were his hands still so cold?—but quickly calmed down as Dick's fingers slowly brushed up and down his abdomen. His thumbs started working gentle circles into the skin after a while, and Wally felt himself unwind.

Of course, Dick had never been one to let things fizzle out. He got a good grip on the waistband of Wally's jeans _and_ his underwear and used that to pull himself closer. Wally's hands spasmed on Dick's ass, which had the younger boy sighing into his mouth.

He started vibrating. He couldn't help it. Dick snorted, sitting up.

"Watch the friction," he said. "I don't want to explain to Bruce why there's an ass-shaped—" He lost his train of thought when Wally vibrated harder against him.

"I'll be careful," Wally promised. "I just—" His words weren't working very well right now. That tended to happen when the blood in his body migrated south. Dick wasn't doing any better.

"Oh. _Oh_. Shit. _Wally_." Dick mashed their mouths together, grinding down into Wally's lap.

Wally hated to admit it, but with Dick pressed so close, tongue exploring, hips rolling, he was close to exploding in no time flat. He held back as long as he could—grabbing fistfuls of Dick's shirt, then scratching blunt nails down his back beneath that, gasping broken fragments of curses that Dick completed for him—until he finally came, gasping Dick's name.

Dick bit onto Wally's shirt at the shoulder, hips still moving, panting, grasping at everything he could reach. Wally reached down with a vibrating hand and squeezed Dick through his jeans. Dick's entire body stiffened and shook as he rode out his own orgasm until he finally melted, boneless, against Wally.

"That was…" Wally laughed breathlessly.

"Yeah." Dick closed his eyes.

"How long until you're expected back?"

"An hour, maybe. We've got time."

"Okay." Wally wrapped his arms around Dick's torso. "I don't know about you, but I'm happy right here."

Dick hummed in agreement.


	13. Day 13: Eating Ice Cream

**Day 13: Eating Ice Cream**

Dick sat by the window in his bedroom, broken leg propped on a pillow, glaring out at the grounds of Wayne Manor below. He'd tossed his crutches aside somewhere, not bothering to rest them somewhere he could reach. He didn't feel like getting up anyway. He couldn't do anything that involved standing, so what was the point?

"Somebody told me about a sad little bird sitting all alone up here," came Wally's voice from the doorway. Dick slumped backwards, letting the momentum swing his head in the other boy's direction. Wally was holding a tub of ice cream and a pair of spoons. "I couldn't remember what you liked, so I got Neapolitan. Bit of everything, you know?"

"It's fine."

"What, no smartass comment?" Wally squeezed onto the window seat next to Dick, planting a foot on the floor to stop himself from toppling over the edge. He passed Dick a spoon heaped with chocolate ice cream. "The situation is worse than I thought!"

Dick glared at him, but shoved the spoon in his mouth anyway. Wally pressed a sticky kiss to his mouth the instant the spoon was out of the way. Wally's tongue swiped against Dick's bottom lip, and Dick pulled away.

"You're gross."

Wally snorted, grabbed Dick's spoon and dug it into the tub again. "You've had my genitals in your mouth, dude."

"Your genitals didn't have food on them at the time," Dick replied, snatching his spoon back. "And once food is in my mouth, it's mine and I'm not sharing."

Wally ate a spoonful of ice cream, slurping on purpose just to make Dick cringe. "I could put food on my genitals if you like."

"Uh-uh. I'm not fulfilling your food-related sexual fantasies until at least the tenth date. And it's not happening here. I don't want to try and explain why whipped cream and chocolate and who knows what else ended up on my bedsheets."

"I think my dorm room will do just fine," Wally replied, wiping a bit of melted ice cream off the corner of Dick's mouth with a finger, which he then licked. "The good ol' 'sock on the doorknob' sign worked a treat last time."

"You might want to start thinking up at least five more dates before you even start considering that." Dick licked his spoon clean. "It's not like I've got anything better to do right now."

"Ice cream date?"

"This is not a date. This is you taking pity on me."

"Ice cream date at the new parlour that opened up near Barry and Iris's place?"

"Okay. You free tomorrow?"

Wally filled Dick's spoon for him again, passing it back with a peck on his cheek. "For you, babe, I'm always free."

Dick wiped the stickiness from his cheek, grinning up at his boyfriend. "You big old softie."


	14. Day 14: Genderswapped

**A/N: Wally is Wanda for the purposes of this prompt. Dick is Karla, after his aunt.**

* * *

 **Day 14: Genderswapped**

"Way to show off your panties to the world, babe," Wanda said, watching Karla do a handstand on top of the swingset in a park in Central City. Karla was wearing some knee-length flowey floral thingy Bruce bought her the other day. She didn't much care what she wore, as long as she could move in it.

"They're bloomers," Karla called back down. "I came prepared."

"Of course you did," Wanda muttered, averting her gaze anyway. They were supposed to be staking out the park to find a person who had been abducting children. Karla, apparently, had decided to get into character by climbing on everything. Wanda was happy keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground.

Karla leapt off the swingset and somersaulted her way to the ground, landing perfectly, of course. Not a hair out of place. Alfred bought industrial-strength bobby pins, apparently. Or maybe Karla's hair was just magic with the way it never seemed to slip out of the messy little buns she favoured. Wanda didn't have the patience for that crap, so she'd lopped off as much of her hair as she could get away with and thrown the rest into a ponytail.

"Showoff."

Karla threw her a thousand-watt grin. "You love watching me. Don't even deny it."

Wanda grumbled under her breath for a bit until Karla landed a giant smooch on her cheek, before to her mouth the instant the older girl shut it.

Karla pulled away quickly. "Don't look now, but I think that's our guy."

Wanda peered surreptitiously to the right where Karla's gaze was fixed. Yeah, that guy was definitely sketchy-looking, watching a group of children play from behind yesterday's newspaper.

"Good eye," Wanda whispered. "Plan?"

Karla pulled her hair out of the bun, shaking it out. "I'll draw his attention. You stick with the kids until I signal you over the comm." She set off at a skip, suddenly losing about five years from her age. The man's gaze was on her almost immediately. Wanda joined the kids playing in the sandpit. They were pretty young and hadn't yet figured out how to get the sand to stick to the shapes they wanted, so that was Wanda's job until she heard Karla's signal. It was a short bird call over the comm, something that would probably confuse her quarry but not alert him that something was up.

By the time Wanda reached Karla's location, Karla was up in a tree laughing at the man on the ground.

"You're ridiculous," Wanda said, clocking the guy in the face. Karla dropped to the floor, ignoring her comment completely.

"Call Barry. He owes me an ice cream."


	15. Day 15: In a Different Clothing Style

**A/N: This one's a bit gory.**

* * *

 **Day 15: In a Different Clothing Style (interpreted as Write an AU to make it more writer-friendly)**

The depravity evident in the crime scene wasn't unlike that of Gotham. Blood coated the walls, spelling out what, at first glance, appeared to be a smattering of nonsense words. Whether the reality lived up to appearances remained to be seen.

Detective Richard Grayson carefully stepped around constellations of broken glass and a crime scene photographer to reach the opposite wall, where a CSI was swabbing one of the wetter writings.

"About time you showed up," said the CSI, with as much humour as was appropriate in such a setting. His hair was a vibrant red. Dick… had a bit of a thing for redheads.

"I had to bake a cake," Dick replied, mentally shaking himself. "Then I got stuck in traffic."

"Been briefed already?"

"Yes." Dick surveyed the damage; most of the glass had come from a broken coffee table. The murder victim had been dragged to the bedroom. Even if he hadn't been told, the blood smear would have been a dead—heh—giveaway. "Victim's name is Katiana Rosenkov. Lived alone. No signs of forced entry. The victim either knew her killer, or they had access. Or both."

The CSI turned around, putting the swab in a tube. "Wait, you're the transfer from the GCPD. Grayson, right? I'm West. Uh, Wally West. CSI guy. I'd shake your hand, but, well…"

"No hard feelings."

"So, what do you make of this?" West gestured at the writing.

"Nothing. Yet. I assume photos have already been taken?"

"Yeah, they got that out of the way right after the body."

Dick scribbled down the words in his notepad so he could start puzzling them out without having to wait for copies of the pictures. "I'm gonna look around."

"And I should get back to swabbing. Nice meeting you."

Dick offered him a parting smile and made for the kitchen, snapping on a pair of gloves.

"Uh, hey."

Dick turned around.

Wally had another swab out and was twirling it in his fingers. "Did you, uh… never mind. Bad time."

Dick swallowed a very inappropriate laugh, and went about his business.

West found him again back at the precinct at the end of the day. Dick hadn't made any headway with the writing, and had had to put it aside to pursue other cases. The Central City Police Department wasn't as overworked and underfunded was Gotham's was, but it still wasn't ideal.

"Hey, found ya," said West.

"Well done. You heading out?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Just tying up a few loose ends. What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you this earlier, but it seemed a bit inappropriate at a crime scene." West scratched the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee sometime?"

Dick wanted to say yes. He really did. "I'm flattered, but I don't know…"

Wally raised his hands. "Hey, no pressure. We could do something else if that's more up your alley."

God, he was tempted. But after everything that happened in Gotham, he wasn't sure he was ready to have a social life again.

"I…" Dick sighed. "I'm gonna have to say no. Sorry. It's nothing against you. I just… yeah."

"Intriguing." Wally pasted on a smile, but it didn't take a detective to notice the strain. "Would you mind if I walked you out anyway?"

"Oh, go ahead." Dick shut down his computer, checked his desk for any sensitive material he shouldn't leave out, and grabbed his jacket. "Shall we?"

Wally helped him into his jacket and they left the building together. Wally chattered happily as they headed for the carpark, and Dick wondered if he'd made the right decision turning him down. Wally was the friendliest person he'd met in the city—not that his other coworkers didn't try to make him feel welcome or anything. There was just something about him that Dick liked. And it wasn't the hair. Okay, maybe it was a little bit the hair.

By the time they reached Dick's car, he'd made a decision. "You know what? I've changed my mind. Coffee does sound great, if the offer's still open."

A real smile lit up Wally's face this time. "Oh? I mean… okay. Yeah. Sure. Let me grab your number and work this out."

Dick could feel Wally's cheer fill him up. Maybe he was ready to start seeing people again.


	16. Day 16: During Their Morning Ritual(s)

**Day 16: During Their Morning Ritual(s)**

The alarm clock buzzed for all of five seconds before Dick swiped it off the beside table and sent it screaming into the wall, where it lay broken and silent. Wally snickered into his pillow. His husband was most definitely not a morning person.

"Shut up," Dick groaned, flopping his hand against Wally's back.

"The only thing that'll hurt is my feelings, babe."

Dick burrowed under his pillow, grumbling a mixture of obscenities from various languages. Wally understood about half of them, and probably would've been able to make out more if he hadn't just, you know, _woken up_.

"Haven't you got work today?" Wally asked. Dick grunted in response. Sighing, Wally rolled out of bed to get the coffee started. Dick was having one of those _I'm not moving until I have caffeine in me_ mornings. It ran in the batfamily. Staying over at Wayne Manor was like living in a zombie apocalypse that lasted all of ten minutes every morning, complete with biting. There was an unspoken agreement in that house that Tim got his coffee first, and may the Lord help anybody who got in his way. At least in Dick and Wally's apartment, Wally was more likely to be bitten when Dick was fully awake. And naked.

Wally stumbled into the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker. He also threw some bread into the toaster so Dick would be less likely to stab him when he went to wake him up again. The man hid batarangs _everywhere_.

Coffee and plate of toast in his hands, Wally returned to the bedroom. Setting the plate down on the bedside table, he poked Dick awake. Dick extended his arm to swat at him.

"I have coffee," Wally said quickly. Dick pulled his head out from under the pillow and snatched the mug out of Wally's hand. He took several long sips, head tilted back, eyes closed, before he finally looked at Wally. Dick's hair was sticking up on one side and his eyes were only half-open, but it was an improvement.

"Go eat," he said. "I'll be down in a minute."

Wally kissed his face and headed back down to the kitchen. By the time he sat down with toast, porridge, eggs and bacon, Dick was out of the bedroom, fully-dressed, freshly showered and depositing the empty plate and mug in the sink.

"So what does the Blüdhaven PD have in store for Officer Grayson today?" Wally asked him.

"Beating my head against a corrupt bureaucracy with their asses firmly in Blockbuster's pocket," Dick replied brightly. "So, the usual."

"Tell Amy I said hi."

Dick gave him a minty kiss and stole a piece of bacon. "I will. Don't _run_ yourself into the ground."

"Oh, stop. You'll make me swoon with your wit."

Dick winked at him while shoving the whole rasher of bacon into his mouth. It shouldn't have been hot, but somehow Dick pulled it off. "Bruce wants another set of eyes on a case tonight," he said, swallowing. "I won't be here for dinner. Alfred said you're welcome to come to the manor if you like."

"Damian's not gonna try and kill me again, is he?"

"That's how he shows affection." Dick picked up his keys. "Gotta go. Love you."

"I'll love you even more after you save me from Damian's latest scheme to get rid of me."

Dick snorted, and stepped out the door. Wally returned to his breakfast.


	17. Day 17: Spooning

**Day 17: Spooning**

It had been a long week for both of them, barely seeing each other even in passing. Dick was up to his pointy little ears filling in as Batman and the League had been on call almost constantly, putting out fires, both literal and figurative, across the planet. And a few in space. Wally had been running from place to place, both with the League and without, with barely enough time to catch his breath between missions. It gave Wally a new appreciation for what life must be like for people with no super-speed. No wonder so many of them felt like there weren't enough hours in the day.

At two in the morning and suddenly having nothing to do after such a busy week, Wally found himself at Wayne manor. Dick was fast asleep in his bed for possibly the first time in days. A slice of silvery light on the man's face revealed a bouquet of bruises on his cheekbone. That hadn't been there the last time they'd run past each other in the Watchtower.

"Dude, you're being creepy," Dick grumbled, his voice heavy with sleep. "That's my job."

Wally chuckled and kicked off his shoes and jeans. "You're cute when you're calling me names."

"Shut up and get in bed, Mr Grayson-West."

"Yes, dear." Wally climbed onto the bed and under the covers. He gently kissed the bruise on Dick's cheek. "Who punched you in the face?"

"A henchman who very much wishes he'd taken up knitting instead." Dick's voice was already softening back into sleep.

"Did he pee himself when he realised what he'd done?

"He might've. He did smell a bit funny."

"Is Bruce proud? I mean, it's not every day you make a criminal pee his pants."

Dick perked up a little. "Are you kidding? He asked me why I let the guy get a hit in at all. Goddamn backseat driver..." The rest of Dick's grumbling was lost to time forever.

Wally snuggled up against Dick's back, careful not to squeeze him too tightly in case his ribs were injured. "How's his back doing?"

"It's healing. He'll be back on his feet in a few months. Until then..." Dick sighed. "I'll cope. It's just been a while since I've had Bruce in my ear every night telling me what to do. I know he trusts me, or he wouldn't have picked me to stand in for him, but... you know."

"It's hard to remember when you've got him criticising everything you do. Gotcha."

"Good. Now shut up. I'm tired."

Wally snorted, and kissed Dick's ear. "Yes, dear."

Dick's breathing soon evened out into the deep rhythm of sleep. Wally listened, and felt his hands around his husband's middle move with every breath. Dick was warm, and sleep-soft, and Wally felt a surge of affection for the man in his arms. He'd missed this, just lying together in the dark, no disasters, no emergencies to tear them apart. No urgency at all. Just... being.

The rhythm of Dick's breaths soon lulled Wally into drowsiness. He cuddled closer, resting his face in the junction between Dick's shoulder and neck. He kissed the skin there and closed his eyes.

"I love you," he whispered, before succumbing to the warm embrace of sleep.


	18. Day 18: Doing Something Together

**A/N: A little smutty. Like, barely. Blink and you'll probably miss it.**

* * *

 **Day 18: Doing Something Together**

Wally had had a nice, romantic afternoon planned in Central City's quietest park. Just him, Dick and a picnic basket full of goodies they'd spent the morning making. The only problem was:

Ants had gotten into the picnic basket. Dick and Wally stared at the wriggling, black mass inside that covered nearly every inch of their lunch. Wally had to fight down a wave of panic as all his plans for the day went up in smoke.

"I blame you," Dick said.

"Yeah." Wally tilted his head, watching an ant make off with a crumb roughly the size of its own body. "I blame me, too. What do we do?"

"Do I look like the Ant Whisperer?"

"Just stick your hand in there and show them who's boss."

"You first."

"I don't want to get bitten."

"And you're okay with me risking it?"

"I am, actually."

Dick shoved his boyfriend away. "Fine. I'll deal with it. You figure out where we should eat instead."

Wally watched Dick gingerly pick up the basket. "Somewhere outside? It's still a nice day, ants notwithstanding."

"Knock yourself out." Dick turned the basket upside-own and shook everything onto the grass. "No, really. Just punch yourself right in the face."

"I'm... gonna look around for a bit. Until you chill out." Wally checked for people, found nobody, and sped off, leaving Dick to handle the picnic basket nightmare.

"I hate you so much," Dick muttered, using tongs to pick up some foil-covered potatoes and throw them into the nearest bin.

A few ant bites and a lot of swearing later, Dick managed to throw out all the food and get the containers back in the basket, now ant-free. He threw the blanket inside just as Wally came back.

"Convenient how you show up just as I finish, huh?"

"I swear it was a coincidence. If I get you a milkshake, will you stop being mad at me for leaving the picnic basket to the mercy of the ants?"

"A milkshake and a burger, and I'll consider it."

"Done and done." Wally linked his arm inside Dick's and dragged him out of the park. "Did you get bitten?"

"A little bit."

"I'll let you bite me later if it makes you feel better," Wally whispered, pushing as much sex into his voice as he could physically manage.

"If my milkshake and burger are damn good, I'll even let you pick the time and place," Dick whispered right back, somehow managing to make a logistical concession sound hot. Wally had half a mind to skip lunch and head right to dessert instead. But he was kinda hungry.

They ended up eating under an awning at a nice little bistro on a street corner. Dick was happy with his chocolate milkshake and a burger he had to dismantle and eat with a knife and fork because it was taller than his face. Wally ordered the same, plus three serves of fries, two plates of garlic bread and a Hawaiian pizza that Dick took offence to immediately.

"Who the hell thought it was a good idea to stick pineapple on a _pizza_?"

"People who knew what they were doing," Wally replied through a mouthful of said pizza. "Come on, try a bit." He waved a slice in front of Dick's face.

"Get that crap away from me." Dick ate an extra-large forkful of burger and pushed Wally's hand away.

"Don't get mad at me because you hate happiness, dude."

Dick managed to slurp his milkshake in a grumpy manner. "I have nothing against happiness. I have _everything_ against putting non-tomato fruit on a pizza."

Wally put his pizza down and fixed Dick with a solemn gaze. "This is the last straw, Dick. I just _cannot_ be with a person who doesn't like pineapple on pizza." He tilted his head back, resting a hand on his forehead. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I cannot marry you."

Dick took his sweet time taking a bite of his burger, chewing and swallowing before replying. "We're not even engaged, genius."

"Oh, we're not?" Perfect opening. Wally dug into his pocket and dropped a ring box on the table. "I guess I better remedy that."

Dick dropped his fork. "If you're joking..."

"I'm not. Honest." Wally pushed the box over to Dick's side of the table. "I was going to hide it in the picnic basket and let you find it yourself, but, well, obviously that isn't going to happen today. Go on, open it."

Dick was still eyeing him suspiciously, but he lifted the box and opened it instead. He raised an eyebrow at the pair of rings inside. "I take it Bruce footed the bill?"

"Ouch, dude. I just asked you to marry me and that's the first thing you think about?"

"Just trying to get a handle on the situation. And you're definitely not making enough money at the lab to pay for rings of this quality."

"You've been hanging out with Tim too much."

"Tim's a good kid. Pragmatism keeps people alive in my family." Dick lifted one of the rings and put it on his finger. "Since you're so desperate for an answer, then yes. I'll marry you." He passed the box back to Wally, who put on the other ring.

"Bruce did pay for the rings," Wally finally admitted. "He said 'Took you long enough' when I asked and then he dragged me down to the shop himself. It was weird."

"That means he likes you." Dick watched his engagement ring twinkle in the sunlight, and a little smile slid across his face. "So who's taking whose name?"

"Well, I did pop the question. You should take mine."

Dick snorted, and Wally tried very hard to not be offended. "Richard West? _Dick_ West? I'd sound like I belong in an old western. And we're both only children." He hummed thoughtfully, wiggling his left hand and making the ring twinkle some more. "We'll hyphenate. How does Grayson-West sound?"

"Why not West-Grayson?"

"Because it sounds weird."

"Okay, good point. Grayson-West it is."

Dick ate the last few bites of his burger before setting the knife and fork down on the plate with an air of finality. "Hurry up and finish eating. We're going back to your place because it's closer, and then we're not leaving until tomorrow morning. Got me?"

"Gotcha." Wally ate the rest of his meal so fast he nearly choked on it all. Dick settled the bill inside, and the pair walked back to Wally's apartment hand-in-hand, the failed picnic basket swinging loosely in Dick's grip.

It fell to the floor, forgotten, the instant they got inside. Dick's hands were otherwise occupied, grasping at Wally's hair, pulling off clothes, gripping his shoulders, digging blunt nails into freckled skin.

They didn't make it to the bedroom. They didn't even make it to the couch.

Wally took him against the wall, his face buried against Dick's chest. Panting, gasping, sighing. Forming half-completed sentences that fell back into air the instant the other moved. Their rings caught the sunlight and shimmered and Wally pressed harder and harder until Dick shuddered in ecstasy and scratched down Wally's back and screamed his name.

They collapsed against each other and folded onto the floor, pressing kisses against each other's hair, foreheads, ears, eyelids, noses, cheeks, lips.

Wally settled into the cocoon of Dick's still-heaving body and told him he loved him. Dick squeezed him into his arms, and told him the same.


	19. Day 19: In Formal Wear

**Day 19: In Formal Wear**

Dick stood on a balcony just outside Wayne Manor's ballroom. The party had started twenty minutes ago, and his fiance still hadn't arrived. To his own engagement party.

"Wally," Dick said sternly into the phone, "you promised you would be on time for this."

"I know, I know." Wally grunted. "But when a giant robot starts lasering your city, things fall by the wayside."

"Please tell me you're not fighting that thing in your tux."

"It may have gotten lasered off me just before you called."

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose. "Should I get Barry? You know, your uncle who somehow _managed to be on time even though you two guard the same city_?"

"No, no." A high-pitched metallic whine burst through the speaker, and Dick had to hold the phone away from him for a moment. "I got this. Just figured out the thing's sensitive to water. Trying to lead it to a fire hydrant."

"Will that be enough water? I mean, you did say it was a giant robot."

"Not that giant. About the size of two Supermen, maybe?"

"That's not giant, Walls. That's just large."

"Can you save the nitpicking for when I'm not having lasers shot at—ow!"

"You alive?"

"Yeah. Mostly. My ass is gonna be so red in a minute."

"Nice. It'll match the rest of you."

"Shut up." Wally yelled incoherently, and a hissing sound filled the space. "Gotcha, you metal piece of... oh, it's melting. That's... unexpected. I thought water would fry the circuits, but nope. It's turned into a puddle."

"Get the cops to take over and get your burnt ass over here, stat. I'll get Alfred to find you a spare suit."

Wally blew a kiss through the phone. "I love you very much."

"I love you too. Now get over here so we can get the ball rolling. Bruce is going to burst a blood vessel if he has to keep the news to himself for much longer."

Wally eventually found his way to the manor, where Dick and Alfred quickly shuffled him off to get dressed. Alfred also brought him an ice pack. Wally sat on the ice pack for a while and Dick cleaned some minor cuts on his face that were already healing.

"I really am sorry I'm late," Wally said.

"I know," Dick said mildly. "I forgive you. How's your butt?"

"Cold."

"That's probably for the best." Dick finished cleaning and tapped a kiss on Wally's forehead. He helped Wally into the new shirt and smacked his hands away when Wally tried to button it up himself.

"I could get used to this. You taking care of me. Me sitting here and doing nothing."

Dick snorted. "Don't." He slid the bowtie around Wally's collar and tied it for him. "Do you still need the ice pack or can we put your pants on now?"

Wally pulled the pack out from under his butt. "I think I'm good. Got any boxers I could borrow? Mine are a bit singed."

Dick dug into his drawers and threw a pair at him. Wally took his time putting them on, and Dick had to stop looking before they ended up even later to the party than they already were.

"You didn't mind looking at Wally Junior last night, babe."

Dick cleared his throat. "We didn't have somewhere to be last night. Now put your damn pants on so we can get out there. And please don't call your penis Wally Junior ever again."

"Party pooper."

The finally made it out to the party, close to forty-five minutes after it was meant to start. Bruce, apparently, had worked his way through several glasses of champagne during the wait, because he didn't seem bothered at all by their lateness.

"We're about ready to make the announcement," Dick told him.

" _Won_ derful." Bruce gave him the full-on Brucie Wayne smile, and Dick quickly reassessed his assumption. He wasn't intoxicated at all; he was pissed off and covering it up with excessive politeness because they were surrounded by socialites.

"Sorry," Wally said. "Totally my fault."

"Oh, I know." Bruce wandered off to talk to a pretty blonde in a sparkly dress.

"I'm scared," Wally whispered.

"You should be," Dick whispered back. "Now let's get up on the stage and get this over with before he starts turning the champagne bottles into weapons."

Alfred signalled for the band to stop playing, and Dick and Wally stepped up onto the raised platform.

"'Evening, everybody," Dick said into the microphone. "So sorry for the delay. _Somebody_ got lost on the way to the party." Wally fidgeted a bit beside him, and the room shimmered with polite tittering. "I'm glad you could all make it here tonight and share this moment with us." As predicted, his words set the room chattering with speculation. "I'll spare you the story, though I will say it involves a failed picnic basket and an apology milkshake, but Wally and I have an announcement to make." He reached for Wally's hand, the one with the ring on it. "Wally and I are getting married."

The room filled with applause. Bruce may or may not have wiped his eyes. It was hard to tell with him. Damian had shown up at Bruce's side at some point. His arms were crossed. He wasn't especially fond of Wally, and a confrontation was surely in the making, but Dick was positive they would all cross that bridge when they got to it. Tonight, however, was for celebrating.

Dick caught Wally's lips in an unfortunately chaste kiss. There would be time later for touching, for holding, for everything, but for now Dick let go of the kiss and stepped down into the crowd to accept their congratulations, Wally's hand still firmly clasped in his.


	20. Day 20: Dancing

**Day 20: Dancing**

Dick and Wally liked to fight over who got to lead when they danced. It had become something of a running joke in high society Gotham, long before they were engaged. So it was only natural that the tradition would continue, even at their own engagement party.

"I used to lead all the time," Wally argued, taking control for a moment before Dick stole it back.

"Yeah, back when I was a little squirt." Dick twirled Wally a few times, ignoring the older man's grumbling.

"I'm older than you," Wally whined when Dick finally desisted.

"I'm taller."

"Barely. And I'm the one who propsed to you."

"You're also the one who was late to his own engagement party."

Wally groaned and plonked his forehead onto Dick's shoulder. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"Definitely not. I'm also stronger than you. So, naturally, I'm the better choice." The music drew to an end, and Dick dipped Wally, letting his head drop dangerously close to the floor. Wally held onto him tightly.

"You're not nice."

"You haven't been attracted to nice people since M'gann." Dick pulled him back up. "Should I start listing names?"

Wally bumped their shoulders together and led him off the dance floor. They passed by Bruce, who was still chatting up that pretty blonde from earlier. Dick made some kind of facial expression that Wally didn't see, but Bruce made the quickest of rude gestures Wally had ever seen somebody other than a speedster do. Dick laughed his way over to a table, where he and Wally finally took a moment to relax.

"This isn't so bad," Wally said, accepting a glass of champagne from Dick, which Dick had snagged from a passing waiter.

"I'm waiting until I see the tabloid headlines tomorrow." Dick reclined in his seat and took a sip of his own champagne. "Knowing them, they'll have decided we broke up and I ran away with Superman to elope in the Bahamas."

"What happens to me?"

"Haven't decided yet. Maybe they'll decide you snap up the woman Bruce has been talking to and then flee the city as Bruce rains hell down upon the both of you." Dick's nonchalance at the concept was a little concerning. And slightly attractive for some reason.

"Forget the tabloids," Wally said eventually. "You're not getting rid of me that easy."

Dick grinned at him over the rim of his glass. "Of course not. We have to stay together long enough to justify the amount of money Bruce dropped on our rings."

"So, the rest of our lives?"

Dick chuckled. "Sounds good to me." He held up his glass. "To being stuck together forever."

Wally clinked his glass against Dick's, and they drank.


	21. Day 21: CookingBaking

**Day 21: Cooking/Baking**

Wally let himself into Dick's apartment to find him wrapped in a blanket and hunched over a pot on the stove. A hand peeked out of the blanket to stir a spoon slowly through the contents.

"You look miserable," Wally commented, shouldering Dick out of the way and taking over the stove. Dick glared at him with narrow red eyes and sniffed loudly.

"Piss off."

Wally brought the spoon to his lips, blew on it and tasted the soup. It was ready, possibly even a touch overdone at this point. "Exactly how long has this been on the stove?" Dick shrugged. Wally turned off the heat and transferred the pot to a cooler position on the stovetop. "You're a mess. You know that, right?"

Dick grumbled at him and slumped into the nearest dining chair. Wally sighed at his theatrics and dug out a nice, big bowl to pour the soup into. He had no idea where Dick kept his soup ladles, or if the man even had one, so he just tipped the pot until enough soup had landed in the bowl. A little soup dribbled over the side of the pot, but he just shrugged and stuck it back on the stove because there were already bits of spilled soup on there anyway.

"This is what happens when you don't get enough sleep and you eat like a teenager," Wally scolded him, breaking up bits of bread and dumping them onto a plate, which he placed beneath the bowl.

"'S not my fault," Dick murmured. "Had to jump in the harbour and save somebody who got thrown in. And it was raining. And cold. And I couldn't find my thermals."

Wally dropped a spoon into the bowl, picked the bowl and plate up and kicked Dick's chair. "Living room. Come on."

Dick reluctantly pulled himself up and followed Wally to the couch, on which he curled up and accepted the food from Wally. Wally dug through Dick's disorganised DVD collection to find something worth watching. Dick often got headaches when he had a cold, so a loud action movie was completely out of the question.

They ended up marathoning some random cooking show that Dick had obviously never watched and it wasn't exactly clear where the DVDs had come from in the first place. Probably one of Alfred's numerous attempts to make Dick give a toss about what he was putting in his mouth. Wally picked up on a few new recipes that sounded nice, and Dick mostly dozed against his shoulder once he was finished with the soup.

"You're a walking disaster," Wally said fondly as Dick drooled on his shirt. "And nobody believes me. Except Alfred, but Alfred knows everything so he doesn't count."

Dick coughed a little in his sleep. Wally watched to the end of the DVD before he laid the man down and ducked upstairs to fetch another blanket. It was a cold night and the heater in Dick's apartment was the shittiest thing known to man. Wally had given up trying to get Dick to move to a better part of town months ago. It was an old argument, and one he didn't really feel like rehashing.

He draped the extra blanket over Dick's snoring form, the other one already wrapped around his body like a cocoon. Wally ducked under the top blanket and squeezed onto the couch. A little extra warmth couldn't hurt.

Dick instinctively melted against him without waking. Wally closed his eyes and settled in for the night.


	22. Day 22: In battle, side-by-side

**Day 22: In battle side-by-side**

"You know," the Flash said, looking down at his husband sitting on the ground, "most people would stop fighting once they got stabbed in the leg."

Nightwing finished bandaging his thigh. "Once we've re-established contact with the League, I'll consider it." Something was jamming communications, probably Luthor trying to stop the League from organising. "Until then, pass me my escrima and help me up. There's a big guy with a knife out there who needs a punch in the face."

"I don't remember you being this violent as Batman." The Flash helped him up anyway. Nightwing elbowed him on the way out of the cleaning closet that had formed their hiding place. The Flash had run him to safety for long enough to treat his injuries, but the guard who caused them, and his friends, wouldn't be far away. He'd been hurt worse before, of course. He was just offended that some random goon of Lex Luthor's got the better of him, and it was time to rectify that.

"The hell kind of security guard carries around a knife anyway?" Nightwing muttered.

"The guy works for a super-criminal and you're trying to impose logic in him?"

The Flash followed Nightwing closely down the hallway, where they quickly ran into the man in question.

"Miss me?" Nightwing said, and punched him in the nose. The man went down in a burst of blood, and Nightwing stepped over his now unconscious form to fight the other guards. The Flash let him handle them; it was the easiest way to keep him happy until he could take pain medication and a nap.

Nightwing shook blood off his escrima when he was finished. His shoulders were looser, his breaths freer despite his injury and the fight. A loud crash in the distance seemed a fairly accurate indicator of where the hell the rest of the League had ended up, and so the pair headed towards it, dispatching more guards along the way.

Superman was getting shot by lasers from a collection of giant robots that barely fit under the roof. The rest of the League was taking advantage of their focus on him to get behind them and take them out. Nightwing watched Batman taser one to great effect, and pulled out his own.

"Get me on one of their shoulders," he said to the Flash. He undoubtedly could do it himself with a grappling hook under normal circumstances, but the knife wound complicated matters. The Flash scooped him up and ran up the side of the nearest robot. Nightwing discharged his taser in a vulnerable-looking plug on the back of its neck, and the Flash ran them back down as it started to fall.

They took down two more that way, and the League handled the rest. Superman floated to the floor, singed and smoking a little. He patted down his chest, and the smoke dissipated a bit.

"Good work," he said. "Where'd you two get to?"

"We tried to chase down some guards before they could sound the alarm," Nightwing replied.

"And then Nightwing got stabbed and punched a guy so hard his nose practically exploded, which was fun," the Flash added.

Batman drew level with Superman, holding a piece of circuit board he had been examining. "The mission is finished. Go home. Get patched up. We'll handle the cleanup."

Of course, in that moment another set of guards burst into the room, already shooting. Nightwing flinched as a bullet grazed his arm and threw a wing-ding at the man responsible. The League surged forward to take out the rest. The Flash barrelled through a full line of them, knocking them down like bowling pins. He paused to pull a bullet out of his shoulder—ouch—before heading over to check on Nightwing.

"I'm fine," Nightwing told him, pressing an adhesive bandage to the scrape left behind. "Just a flesh wound."

"Sorry. I should've gotten you out of the way."

"We were all taken by surprise," said Superman. "There's something interfering with my hearing. And Luthor hasn't shown himself."

"He left ten minutes ago," Batman replied, flicking through footage on his glove computer. "He'll be halfway to his jet by now."

"I'll take care of it." Superman pushed off the ground and zoomed out the gap left in the wall that he'd probably made in the first place. The rest of the fliers took off after him.

"I can stick around," Nightwing said to Batman. "Help you analyse everything."

"No. The rest of the League will stand guard while I get it done. You need stitches. The Flash will take you home." Batman headed back over to the nearest fallen robot.

"Do you feel twelve years old again, or is it just me?" Nightwing said quietly.

"Just you." The Flash helped him climb onto his back. "But, hey, look on the bright side. You get to go home and look at my glorious face while everyone else is stuck staring at Batman glare at things."

"I happen to like watching him glare at things, especially when those things aren't me."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." The Flash ran them to the nearest zeta tube, which Nightwing programmed for the batcave. Despite his claims, Nightwing was getting a little unsteady on his feet. The Flash had to watch him when they materialised at the other end.

Damian was sitting at the computer. "Grayson. What have you done to yourself this time?"

"I missed you too, Damian." Dick pulled off his mask with a tired sigh. "I got stabbed in the leg and grazed by a bullet. Could you fetch Alfred for me, please?"

Damian levelled Wally with an icy _this is your fault_ glare, and climbed upstairs. Wally helped Dick settle onto the bed in the infirmary.

"Are you sure the kid doesn't have superpowers?" Wally said. "Because I swear the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees when he looked at me."

"He doesn't like seeing people he cares about get hurt," Dick replied. "It's nothing personal. He probably just expected you to keep me out of harm's way, given you're my husband and you have superspeed and all."

"Oh, thanks, babe. I feel so much better. And here I was, thinking I'd actually made progress with the little..." Dick narrowed his eyes. "...boy. What'd you think I was going to say?"

Alfred chose that moment to come into the room, with Damian right on his heels. "I take it Master Bruce is still fawning over Luthor's toys?"

"With his special _I still hate you but your stuff is pretty cool_ glare," Dick replied.

"Naturally. Now, let us see what injuries you managed to pick up this time."

"Nothing unusual. Knife and bullet, but the bullet was just a graze so it's probably better than normal, actually." Dick stared at a fixed point on the wall while Alfred tended to him, his eyes growing distant during the stitching. Damian watched the process closely, even going so far as to shoulder Wally out of the way so he could stand near them. Wally allowed it, because he knew Dick would tell him off for sinking down to the level of a clearly upset ten-year-old. But, by God, he wanted to push back.

Dick put his hand on Damian's head once Alfred had finished stitching. "Did that game you were waiting for come in yet?" Damian nodded. "All right. Why don't you go set up the TV? I'll be up there in a minute."

Damian dashed out of the room. Dick accepted some pills and a glass of water from Alfred. He swallowed them down.

"I'm gonna have to spend some time with Damian tonight," he said. "You okay with that?"

Wally shrugged. "You're his big brother. Gotta spend time with him at some point, right?"

Dick reached for his hand, squeezing it once he had a good grip. "I'll talk to him about treating you better again once he's calmed down a bit, but it's probably best if you don't stick around tonight."

"Are you staying here overnight?"

"I probably should. Damian'll want me within reach until he's stopped freaking out. I'm sure you'll be welcome for breakfast tomorrow."

"I'll be sure to prepare extra food," Alfred said, packing up his medical equipment.

"Okay. I can live with that." Wally swooped in for a quick kiss. "I guess I'll find out if Superman managed to catch up to Luthor after all."

"Text me when you know," Dick said as Wally let his hand drop and left the room for the zeta tube.


	23. Day 23: Arguing

**Day 23: Arguing**

Wally had hoped Bruce could talk some sense into Dick about putting himself in danger almost 24/7 after he was wounded severely enough that the Blüdhaven Police Department actually called to let them know he'd been hospitalised. But, of course, Dick could be even more stubborn than the Bat himself when he put his mind to it.

He discharged himself from the hospital as soon as he could get away with it and was back out flying as Nightwing within days. Every time Wally saw him, the stitched-up gunshot wound on his shoulder had opened up again, even after Alfred had patched it up for him maybe half a dozen times by this point.

"You're risking your identity," Wally finally worked up the nerve to say one night when they were alone in his apartment in Central City. Alfred was busy, so it had fallen to him to stitch Dick back together this time. "Blockbuster's got his eye on you, and on the BPD. What are the odds of two people having the exact same injury at the exact same time?"

Dick took a moment to process what he'd said; he had been watching one of those wanted criminal TV shows that encouraged viewers to call in with tips. He'd already solved three of their cases for them, and the phone was sitting loosely in his free hand. He blinked tiredly a few times, and Wally's words finally seemed to sink in.

"Blockbuster's got better things to do than pay attention to a rookie cop," he replied.

"You don't even need to be there anymore," Wally shot back, finishing off the final stitch. "You got rid of the crooked cops. Job done. There's no reason for you be sticking around and risking yourself like this."

"I got shot, Wally," Dick snapped. "I get shot as Nightwing all the time but I don't see you telling me to give that up."

"You're free to fight however you want as Nightwing." Wally set his tools aside. "You have to limit yourself as a cop. Would you have gotten shot if Nightwing was in the same situation?"

"I don't know," Dick replied. "It doesn't matter."

"Like hell it doesn't."

Dick pulled his shirt back on, jerking away when Wally moved to help him. "Look, I can't just drop everything and abandon the force in the middle of a staffing crisis. We lost two-thirds of our officers and it's going to take time to train enough replacements. They need me. I'm not leaving until I'm good and ready. Even Bruce understands that."

"But you _are_ planning to leave?"

"Eventually." Dick's voice flattened, and it was hard to tell if he was lying or trying not to sound upset about it.

"And how long is _eventually_?"

Dick reached for his duffel bag; he had been planning to stay over tonight, but that seemed unlikely to happen now. Wally put his hand on top of Dick's before he could lift the bag. Dick jerked his hand away.

"As long as it damn well needs to be."

"Will it be before you make another dangerous mistake?" Wally fired back. "Would you have gotten shot if you'd been getting enough sleep? I don't know how you keep going when you're running on nothing, but it's going to catch up to you eventually. And you might not be able to walk away from it next time."

"I already told you I'm leaving the force," Dick said curtly. "What more do you want from me?"

Wally's fist met the wall. "I want you to take care of yourself for once in your life!"

"I'm not a child, Wally," Dick retorted.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you're sure as hell acting like one!" Wally picked up Dick's bag and shoved it at him, making him stumble back a few steps. "You don't want to listen to me? Fine. Go. I don't know why I thought you'd actually listen to a thing I'm saying. You never have before."

"Oh, come on. That's not fair."

"Blockbuster has it out for Nightwing. He has it out for the BPD now that you've chipped away his influence there. I'm trying to look out for you, and you just won't _listen_."

"You don't know the city like I do," Dick replied.

"Maybe not, but I know you. You'll just keep throwing yourself at Blockbuster until one of you ends up in pieces. And from the looks of things, it's going to be you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Wally. Really appreciate it."

"And what if he figures out your identity? What if he comes after you at home? Or the people you care about? How many people could end up getting caught in the crossfire?"

"We've been over this already. He's not going to find out who I am." Dick slung his bag over his good shoulder. "I'm leaving now, just like you wanted. And I'm going to get Blockbuster out of Blüdhaven even if it kills me."

As he watched Dick storm out, Wally couldn't help but think what he said would come true in the worst way imaginable.


	24. Day 24: Making Up Afterwards

**Day 24: Making Up Afterwards**

When the news came out of Blüdhaven about Blockbuster's death, Wally had hoped Dick would show up on his doorstep. He knew his kinda-sorta-ex-boyfriend was currently homeless—he'd tried to reach out to Dick after his apartment building was destroyed to no avail—and not knowing where he was made Wally sick with worry.

But it wasn't until weeks later when his hopes were finally fulfilled.

Wally opened his door after buzzing in a very tired-sounding Dick to find his appearance matched his voice. His skin was practically colourless and the dark circles under his eyes could've had their own zip code. Wally recognised Dick's duffel bag as the one he'd carried when he had stormed out of this very apartment after their last argument, though it was definitely dirtier and more battered than he remembered.

He lifted it off Dick's shoulder, gently pulled him inside and shut the door. "After the thing with Blockbuster, you just disappeared. You had me worried."

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't want to talk about it."

"O...kay." Wally set the bag aside. "You don't want to talk about Blockbuster or you don't want to talk about disappearing?"

Dick settled himself on the couch, but despite his obvious exhaustion, he sat completely straight with his hands fisted on his knees. Wally sat on the footrest, uncertain if Dick would be okay with sharing too much personal space.

"Everybody's saying Nightwing killed Blockbuster," he said quietly.

"It's complicated," Dick murmured. "I was there. I let it happen. But I didn't pull the trigger. Not that it makes a difference in the end." He ran his hands over his face. "You were right. About risking my identity."

"After what happened to your apartment and the circus, I figured," Wally replied. "I tried to get in touch with you, but... well..."

"Yeah." Dick's hands fell back into his lap. "Amy fired me before all that happened. She found out about Nightwing. Probably just as well, since Blockbuster was targeting everything I cared about that he could reach. Not talking to you probably saved your hide as well, come to think of it."

"I wasn't worried about myself, babe."

"Yeah, you probably would've been able to fight off an attack without too much trouble, but it could've risked your identity, too. Even if they didn't take you out, your family would probably be easier to target than mine."

"Good point. Thanks for being a stubborn ass, I guess."

"You're welcome." The conversation had perked Dick up a little bit, but he was still blinking way too much and getting his vision caught on random points in the room like he'd forgotten he was looking there. "I haven't talked about this to anyone else yet."

"Does Bruce know about Blockbuster?"

"Probably. With the rumours flying around, he has to know something's up." Dick's gaze dropped to his hands. "I don't know if I can face him."

"You'll have to eventually," Wally said gently.

"I know." Dick swallowed. "Can I crash here tonight? I, uh, don't have a place to stay."

"Of course. Are you cool with sharing the bed, or...?"

"I'll take the couch. Just for tonight. Then we'll see."

Wally saw that for what it was: not a rejection, but a need for space. He didn't know exactly what went down yet with Blockbuster and whoever had killed him, but clearly it had messed Dick up quite a bit.

"I'm sorry I drove you away," Wally said after a while. "I shouldn't have lost my cool like that."

"I was on my way out anyway," Dick replied. "And I was being pretty infuriating. I'm sorry about that." He tried and failed to suppress a yawn. Wally couldn't hold back a fond smile.

"I'll get you a blanket."

By the time he'd dug one out and come back to the sitting area, Dick had fallen asleep on the couch. Wally settled the blanket over him and let him be after leaving a sticky note on the fridge in case he got hungry. They hadn't dealt with everything that had happened yet, but that was okay. Tonight was a start. And that was enough.


	25. Day 25: Gazing into each other's eyes

**Day 25: Gazing into each other's eyes**

Lazing out on the neatly manicured grass of the manor grounds beneath the sky wasn't the sort of thing Dick expected to have time to do once he'd taken on the mantle of Robin. Lying on his back and inventing shapes out of the clouds rolling above him seemed like a childish thing to do, an old habit that had died with his family and his childhood.

And then Wally had come into his life with all the subtlety of a tornado, bringing last-minute ice cream runs and alphabet fridge magnets spelling rude words in hard-to-reach places and exasperated sighs from the lips of adults. And cloud-gazing.

Compared to their other shenanigans, the cloud-gazing was incredibly tame. And yet, sometimes, it was Dick's favourite thing, especially after a hard night. Or even the occasional good one.

They were older now—Wally was nineteen and Dick was seventeen—but, even in the chill of winter, the compulsion to lie under the clouds together was impossible to resist. Dick didn't even live at the manor anymore, except for some college breaks, but Alfred made them both feel at home regardless.

It was a quiet thing, lying there and watching the sky, listening to the wind ruffle the leaves like an annoying older brother. Talking didn't come easily to the pair anymore. Too many things had changed them—college, girlfriends, Dick's identities, more death—and it was like they were two completely different people. Dick could feel Wally slowly slipping between his fingers, less like a whirlwind and more like a river. It was slower, perhaps, than his memorable entrance so many years ago, but it never stopped no matter how much Dick wished it would.

There had been a time, a few years ago now, when the pair had played at being a couple. They'd even gone on a few dates, kissed a little, held hands. Dick had known even then that he was in love with Wally. But, like all games, the playing eventually came to an end before Dick had worked up the nerve to confess the depth of his feelings. Then Wally swooped up a girl and, not knowing what else to do, Dick followed suit. He liked girls, of course, and he liked the girls he had dated. But the could-have-beens hung over his head like—not clouds, exactly, because clouds came and went. More like a piece of his skull. It was a part of him now, and he couldn't do anything about it. Or so he told himself.

Wally gazed up at a cloud that Dick personally thought looked like a castle, though he hadn't exactly spent much time looking at it. Wally's eyes were far more interesting. Outside the manor grounds, green wasn't something that was seen often in Gotham, and even then it was usually associated with a criminal, usually Poison Ivy or the Joker. Most Gothamites avoided the botanical gardens because of the former, and no party or circus clown would dare have green hair as part of their costume.

So green was usually something Dick associated with Bad Things, like homicidal plants or the person who murdered his little brother. Wally was the exception to that.

Wally's eyes glittered. Wally's eyes were _alive_. Wally's eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled and Dick wanted to kiss the creases. He also kind of wanted to cry because that was never going to happen. They barely even spoke as friends anymore.

Wally's bright, vital eyes flicked to Dick's and trapped him in his gaze. "Your face is gonna get stuck like that if the wind changes. Then you're gonna look like somebody stabbed you for the rest of your life."

Dick forced a smile onto his face and flopped down onto his back, snorting at Wally's remark. "Doesn't matter what face I make. Everybody still wants a piece of me."

Wally laughed. "Artemis always said I was a bad influence. I guess I owe her money."

"You made a bet with your girlfriend about whether it was your fault I'm conceited?"

"Ex-girlfriend, but basically." Wally sat up. His smile looked about as forced as Dick's felt.

"Ex? When did that happen?"

"Oh. Months ago. Didn't I tell you?"

Dick didn't bother hiding his frown. "No."

"Right. Sorry. Must've slipped my mind with everything that's been going on."

Dick stared up at the clouds, willing his heart to stop drumming against his ribs like some kind of morbid xylophone. Wally hadn't been single in years. The hope blooming in his gut hurt too much to let it run free.

"Is everything all right?" Dick managed.

"Oh. Yeah. We're good. Just drifted apart, you know?" Wally's voice sounded too light to be as nonchalant as he was pretending, but Dick decided not to call him on it. They were both a bit out of sorts today.

Wally lay back down with a long sigh. The biggest cloud overhead looked like a flower of some kind. A daisy, maybe? Dick said so, to break the silence if nothing else.

"Eh, looks like a bumpy cloud to me," Wally replied. "That one over there looks like a dragon."

"Or a lizard."

"Same thing." Wally's pinky finger bumped against Dick's. They both held their breath for a moment before jerking away. Dick tried not to read too much into it.

"So, how's the team?" he asked, grabbing onto the first topic he could think off.

"They're okay. Ish. I mean, considering the circumstances." Wally turned his face in Dick's direction, but Dick kept staring at the sky. "They're worried about you. You haven't been around much since Jason... you know."

Dick wished he didn't know. "Yeah. Bruce took it the hardest. It's hard to be around him. We're not really getting along."

"I'm sorry." Wally was still watching him, but this wasn't a conversation Dick could handle face-to-face. "You should come visit the team sometime. It's not good to isolate yourself when stuff like this happens, you know? Google said so."

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint our machine overlords," said Dick. His tone of voice was all wrong for the joke, but Wally laughed anyway. "I'll think about it."

"Good man. Well, almost man. Manlette."

"That sounds like a cannibal's breakfast, Wally."

"I bet you've got more experience with cannibals than I do," Wally replied.

Dick chuckled a little. "Probably." He finally gave into the urge to meet Wally's gaze.

Wally's eyes were soft, gentle. Fond. Dick felt warm just looking at him.

It would be so easy to sit up, to brush his fingers against Wally's dappled cheeks and kiss him. It would be the easiest thing in the world. He could do it. He wanted to do it. Even if Wally never wanted to see him again afterwards, it would be worth it just for that one perfect moment.

Dick sat up. "Can I ask you something? A serious something? And if you laugh, I'll smack you all the way to Metropolis and back."

"I won't laugh," Wally promised.

God. Okay. This was harder than he'd expected. But he couldn't just jump Wally out of the blue. If he asked first and the answer was no, at least they could possibly salvage their friendship. Or at least remain on speaking terms.

Dick took a deep breath, let it out and took in another one. "Okay. So. I know we messed around a bit as kids with, you know, dating, but did you ever think things could've become serious between us?"

Wally frowned, and Dick very much would have liked to sink into the ground right in that moment. "I've thought about it," Wally said after a few seconds of consideration. "You never said anything, though, so I tried not to."

Dick fought back a laugh that couldn't have been anything other than hysterical. "I... same. Yeah. I wasn't sure if you were even into guys, or if I was just some weird exception because of how close we were as friends."

"Ditto." Wally did laugh a little bit then, but Dick figured he wasn't laughing at his expense at this late stage. "I am, by the way. Though... not exclusively."

"Yeah." Dick's brain had vacated the premises. "Same. Uh. Again."

A grin slid across Wally's face, crinkling the corner of his eyes in that way Dick loved. "You're blushing." He pressed a hand against his reddening cheek. "And so am I. Christ. Okay." He laughed softly. "Only you could go from discussing cannibalism to, uh, matters of the heart. So to speak."

"How poetic," Dick ribbed, though his insides were definitely squirming with glee at the turn the conversation had taken. He hadn't felt like this since Zatanna had first kissed him, and that was years ago. Despite how much he and Wally had drifted, being here felt right.

As he'd predicted, it was all too easy to touch Wally's burning, freckled cheek. His fingers tingled. He leaned in before he could change his mind, and Wally met him halfway.

Dick's insides fizzed with electricity the moment their lips touched. He sank into the kiss, his weight pushing Wally down onto his back. They split apart, giggled, and came together again. Wally's fingers tiptoed across Dick's ribs and Dick accidentally elbowed him in the gut when he hit a ticklish spot, but that was okay.

They rolled apart after a while, but laced their their hands together. Wally's eyes were alight with the kind of mischievous glee that had made Dick fall in love with him in the first place. Above them, a cloud had shaped itself into a heart, though Wally tried to claim it was a butt for a while before finally relenting.

They lay there together, hand-in-hand, until the sun began to sink below the horizon and Wally's stomach grumbled for food. They walked back into the manor, still firmly attached to each other, and, for the first time in months, Dick couldn't wipe the grin off his face.


	26. Day 26: Getting Married

**Day 26: Getting Married**

The first floor of the manor was flooded and the grounds were a mess of slush. Dick watched from the railing beside the staircase overlooking the entrance hall as Alfred directed various Justice League members in their attempts to bail out all the water before the wedding guests arrived. Superman had originally tried blowing the water out with his super-powered breath, but ended up freezing the water and kind of making things worse. So he was working with a mop now.

Dick called out to Alfred, "Are you sure you don't want my help?"

Alfred huffed in exasperation. "For the hundredth time, sir, no. This is your special day."

"He wouldn't let me help, either," Wally said, tiptoeing through the driest part of the floor with his arms full of sandwiches. Alfred had prepared extra, just in case. Once Wally had come up the stairs, Dick rolled up the sleeves on his overlarge sweater, stole one and munched it down.

"Bruce was up all night chasing after the guy who decided to turn Gotham into a swimming pool," he said, swallowing his last mouthful. "Called himself The Weatherman, of all things. The police confiscated his weather machine and Bruce managed to find and scan the blueprints so he can figure out how it was built."

"Is the Batcave okay?"

Dick nodded. "The water level in the caverns below it rose a bit, but not enough to cause any problems. Gotham itself suffered the worst, especially in places like the Narrows. Jason, Tim and Steph were out there all night getting people to safety."

"Wait. Jason and Tim worked together? Willingly?"

Dick shrugged, the neckline of his sweater slipping down one of his shoulders to reveal more of the white shirt he was wearing underneath. "Desperate times, I guess. They have been getting along better lately."

Wally fixed Dick's sweater. "You look very cosy. And tiny."

Dick flopped the sleeves against Wally's chest. "I can still kick your ass."

"Oh, I know. You'll just look adorable doing it."

"Don't I always?"

Wally pulled Dick against him by the waist, resting his face against his soon-to-be-husband's sleep-tousled hair. "And it's blue. Good day for it."

"It's old and borrowed as well," Dick said against Wally's shoulder. "I stole it from Bruce's closet years ago."

"I wondered where that went," came Bruce's voice. Dick and Wally stepped apart to find him standing at the top of the stairs with a steaming mug in each hand. "Hot chocolate." He passed a cup to Dick and took a few sandwiches off Wally in exchange for the other one.

Dick lifted the cup, between sleeve-covered hands, and sniffed the contents. "You didn't make this yourself, did you? I don't want to die on my wedding day."

"Alfred made it earlier," Bruce replied. "I just warmed it back up."

Dick still waited until Wally took a sip. Wally didn't look grossed-out, so he figured it was safe enough to drink. The warm liquid bloomed heat down his throat and through the rest of his body. The manor was only just starting to warm up; Bruce had checked the safety of the heating system and given the go-ahead to turn it back on only an hour ago.

Dick leaned his elbows against the railing, soaking up the warmth from the mug, as he watched the Leaguers bring in piles of towels. "We should probably figure out where to hold the ceremony. Even if Alfred and his minions work a miracle and get the ground floor dry enough for the reception in the downstairs ballroom, it's still way too wet outside to go with Plan A for the ceremony."

"There's a large sitting room on this floor we could use," Bruce replied. "We'd need to dust it and set up the furniture, but it should be big enough and it overlooks a part of the garden that doesn't look too drowned."

"We can take some of the floral arrangements we meant to use for the reception," Dick suggested. "You know, to make it actually look like a wedding. We've probably got too much anyway." But neither he nor Wally could say no to Alfred in a wedding frenzy, and Bruce had been less than helpful. Probably on purpose. He was just as excited as Alfred, even if he hid it better. Dick and Wally had already freaked Alfred out by choosing not to have a best man or a maid of honour; they just had too many wonderful people to choose from, and it just felt wrong to single one of them out. Kaldur, Roy, Conner, M'gann, Zatanna, Artemis and Barbara were all kicked around as ideas, but ultimately Dick and Wally had decided against the concept as a whole. The sheer lack of a clear winner had made that an easy decision.

"I'll arrange it with Alfred," Bruce said. "You two should start getting ready."

Wally ran his hand down the back of Dick's sweater. It was soft, and he was so cuddly. Dick leaned back into him, and Wally wrapped his around around him properly.

"We'll go soon," Dick said, tilting his head back to rest on Wally's shoulder. Being so openly affectionate in front of Bruce felt weird on most days, but not today. Today was entirely dedicated to a good helping of PDA in front of people they'd never normally act so coupley around, Bruce and Damian being chief among them. Also Alfred, but the man had accidentally walked in on them enough times that it had kind of ceased to be weird. Which was pretty weird in itself, really.

"We should just get married in our sweaters," Wally sighed, taking a very careful sip of his hot chocolate.

"Yeah, this is so not a day for suits. But I also don't want Alfred to kill me."

Wally groaned. " _Fine_. Suits it is. But we're getting right back out of them as soon as everyone's gone. I take it our flight's been delayed?"

"Indefinitely," Dick replied. "Our so-called Weatherman hit the airport pretty hard. A lot of equipment was damaged, so it could be a week or more before we can fly. I've already called the hotel and transfer services. The hotel's keeping the honeymoon suite on reserve for now, but if we can't get there within two weeks we'll have to give up the booking. They've got to make their money somehow."

"Nice of them to do even that much," Wally commented.

"Worst case scenario: we go somewhere else." Dick sipped his drink. "I mean, it's not like we're going to get out enough to make much difference where we go anyway. It's a honeymoon, not a safari."

"I think I just heard your mind fall into the gutter." Wally kissed the corner of Dick's jaw. "Want some company down there?"

"Tonight." Dick stepped out of Wally's embrace, draining the last drops of his drink. His cheeks were a little pink. "We wouldn't want to desecrate our own marriage before it's begun, would we?"

Wally snorted. "Didn't we desecrate it a few days ago already?"

"Oh, psh." He pressed his mug into Wally's free hand. "Run that down to the kitchen, dear. I'm gonna get ready far away from you and your devilish charms."

"You started it," Wally called after him as he started for the hallway.

* * *

Bruce and Alfred had forbidden Dick and Wally from seeing the inside of the sitting room turned wedding chamber before they were due to talk down the aisle. They had originally planned on having three aisles outside, so the wedding party would walk down the middle and then Dick and Wally would come down opposite aisles afterwards, but that wasn't really an option here. This sitting room was tucked away in a corner of the manor, hence why it was rarely used, and as such could only be accessed through one door from the hallway.

"What use is tradition anyway?" Dick said to Bruce as Alfred adjusted his cufflinks for him. "Wally and I are already breaking the mould of the so-called traditional marriage by being the same gender. Somehow I think entering through the same door at the same time is going to be pretty far down on the list of violations if we end up in a fundamentalist's version of hell."

"You're not going to hell," Bruce told him, straightening Dick's bow tie. It didn't really need to be straightened, but he was fighting off tears and clearly needed something to do. Dick hoped Bruce could hold off on the waterworks until the ceremony proper at least. If Bruce lost it, then he probably would too. The wedding hadn't been a big deal before today, really. Not much was going to change. Wally still had to spend time in Central City and Dick was still largely based in Gotham. They were definitely more flexible than, say, Batman and the Flash, but they did occasionally fill in for their mentors if they had injuries or other commitments. With Bruce getting older and already well into middle-age, the possibility of Dick having to take over on a long-term basis loomed ever larger.

But now it was really hitting him that today was about celebrating the love he and Wally had for each other, a bond that transcended petty things such as distance and work commitments. Dick wasn't normally one to take his night work lightly, but it honestly did pale in comparison to spending time with Wally these days. He certainly didn't want to quit, but the idea of spending less time in the field wasn't nearly as unthinkable to him as it used to be. Thinking about it, he wasn't really surprised that Bruce had never been able to hold down a long-term relationship of his own, and not for a lack of interest. Batman always came first for him, and possibly always would. And that meant putting a lover second.

Dick, for his part, was more receptive to flexibility. If he was needed in the field, he would go without batting an eye, but the thought of taking nights off to be with Wally instead wasn't such a terrible thing. He knew his family would call if they needed him. Maybe things would change if he had to take on a bigger role if Bruce was unable to work in the field for any amount of time, but under normal circumstances as Nightwing he felt like he was in a good place now. A place he hadn't been in when he'd been based in Blüdhaven, juggling police work and Nightwing at the same time, because it had been almost impossible to spare time for anything else, including sleep, especially when things got particularly dire with Blockbuster. Dick usually tried not to think about it. That part of his life was over, and a new part had begun.

Damian slipped through the door, carrying the ring pillow. Dick had managed to convince him to be the ring-bearer, but it had taken a lot of begging and a lot of nights patrolling and training and gaming together.

"Grayson," he said. "We have to talk."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I wish to speak with you privately," Damian insisted.

"No more than five minutes," Bruce said, and he and Alfred left the room.

Dick fiddled with the bird-shaped silvery cufflinks. "All right. What's up?"

"Call off the wedding."

Dick tried very hard to not raise an eyebrow. "Why?" Did Damian think there was a security threat? Because he could have easily spoken about it in front of Bruce and Alfred.

"I had hoped you would change your mind about marrying West." Damian glared down at the pair of wedding rings sitting on the pillow in his hands. "I know marriage is a rite of passage into adulthood, and it often involves leaving one's family behind and I-"

"Oh. I see." Dick knelt down to Damian's level, really hoping the kid wouldn't take the move as condescension. "I'm not leaving you, Dami. To tell the truth, I don't think a lot's going to change. Wally and I put our names on a certificate that tells the government we're a couple and we get some legal benefits out of that, but he's still based in Central City and I'm still based in Gotham. We still have to work around our schedules and our families to see each other. Once the planes are flying again, we'll be away for a couple of weeks, but then we'll be back to carry on as normal, okay? And even when we're away, you can still call me. If there's an emergency, like an earthquake or another alien invasion, I'll have Wally run me back to Gotham. No biggie. I love my family, and I love you. I'm not going to abandon you just because I'm marrying the guy I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"West is annoying," Damian grumbled.

"Weren't you just calling _me_ annoying last week? And now you've gone and given the title to Wally. I'm hurt. I thought I was special."

" _You_ are an insufferable oaf, Grayson."

Dick laughed at that, and dared to ruffle Damian's hair a little. "See? Business as usual." Damian cracked the tiniest of smiles. "Okay, but in all seriousness, I'd really like it if you two could try to get along because I love the both of you to pieces and it makes me sad when you fight. He doesn't have to be your favourite person, but could you try? For my sake? Pretty please?"

Damian tutted. "Very well, Grayson. I will attempt to tolerate his presence, provided he takes care of you properly and does not attempt to take our game time away."

"He wouldn't dare. Trust me on that." Dick squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you. Now go join the rest of the bridal party. Bruce and Alfred are probably chomping at the bit while Barry's bouncing off the walls."

Damian left without any further fuss, and Bruce and Alfred came back.

"Everything okay?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. I think we're good for now."

Alfred ran a brush across Dick's knees. "Honestly, sir. Can you not get through an hour without ruining your suits?"

"Apparently not." Dick was suddenly struck with a memory of his mother cleaning his costumes after he'd snuck into the elephant enclosure for the twelfth time as a kid. She'd left the gentle scolding to his father, but she'd communicated her exasperation through enough sighs for Dick, even at seven years of age, to get the point.

The would've been beside themselves with joy if they'd been here today. And they probably would've brought the rest of the family and the whole circus with them. And 'here' would've been a completely different place, probably just the circus tent or a local chapel in whatever town the circus was currently stopped in.

But, instead, the circus was halfway across the country and his parents, along with his aunt, uncle and cousin, were buried in a cemetery a short drive from the manor.

Bruce silently put his arm around Dick's shoulders while he fought to control the sudden tide of emotion. He pressed his hand against his eyes, but couldn't stop the tears. Damn it. And here he'd thought Bruce would be the one to lose it first, though for completely different reasons.

A hand brushed Dick's hair. "I will tell the others you need a few minutes," Alfred said. The door clicked.

"Sorry," Dick murmured, wiping his eyes.

"It's all right," Bruce replied, giving his shoulders a little squeeze. Regardless of how rocky their relationship had gotten at times, Dick was unspeakably glad he was here. There weren't a lot of people who could understand how he was feeling.

Dick sighed, closing his eyes. "I know they're watching. From wherever they are now."

"Of course they are." Bruce had never been particularly clear about his thoughts on religion or life after death, but he still talked to his parents' graves when he visited them, a habit Dick had also picked up, so he had to believe in something. "They're proud of you, Dick."

Dick smiled up at him. "I know. Thank you." He felt better. Still sad, but better. It was probably for the best he and Wally couldn't leave for their honeymoon immediately; he hadn't predicted how much thinking about his birth family would throw him. He'd visit them later today or tomorrow, probably in gumboots. The ground would likely be a slushy mess for days to come.

Alfred poked his head into the room. "Are you ready, sir?"

Dick nodded. "All good, Alfie. Thanks."

Alfred signalled somebody and the music started. It was the sound of an old-fashioned organ, though it was in reality an electronic thing because the room was too small to hold the proper one they'd hired for the occasion. Alfred had practically had a conniption at the revelation.

Dick bounced a little on the spot, ready to get in there. He didn't get to wait in the hallway until most of the wedding party had gone in already. He was ready to burst out of his skin by the time he got into the hallway, where he got his first glimpse of Wally since they'd parted ways to get ready.

Wally tended to look a little out-of-place whenever he wore a suit, but his cheesy grin and sparkling eyes more than made up for it. "Nervous yet?" he asked, lacing his fingers between Dick's.

"Getting there," Dick replied.

Alfred and Iris stepped through the door into the sitting room, leaving Barry and Bruce with the couple. Barry looked like he'd already done his fair share of bawling, so at least Dick wasn't alone in that.

Wally nudged him. "You okay?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah. Just thought about my parents a bit too hard."

Wally ran his thumb over Dick's palm. "We can wait a bit if you need a minute."

Dick shook his head. "I'm okay. I'll visit their graves later and deal with it then. But, right now, let's get married."

Wally barely had enough time to kiss his forehead before Bruce and Barry pushed them through the door and followed them through. This room was wallpapered in a gentle, leafy green that matched perfectly with the white rose arrangements Alfred and Bruce had taken from the ballroom. Dick and Wally headed between two sets of white garden chairs, which had been intended for the outdoors wedding, towards the window, in front of which stood the celebrant.

Upon arriving in front of the celebrant, Bruce touched Dick's shoulder, while on the other side Barry did the same to Wally. They then sat down in the front row, and Dick and Wally turned to face each other.

The celebrant started talking about dearly-beloveds and such, and Dick was kind of listening but he was mostly focused on Wally staring up at him. The angle was barely there, but Dick had held their marginal height distance over Wally's head (heh) since it had happened, so of course he noticed it.

Cassandra, with Tim standing by to help, read the lyrics of a song called _I Will Be Here_ by Steven Curtis Chapman like a poem. Alfred had picked it out, since Dick and Wally hadn't had the faintest idea what to choose. It was a simple poem, and Dick found himself tearing up again as he heard Cassandra flow through the words as if she'd been reading her entire life. She had practised, reading and speaking it for hours upon hours until she got it right. And she did. Tim didn't need to say a word.

The celebrant spoke for a little longer, until the time came for Dick and Wally to become involved directly.

"Do you, Wallace Rudolph West, take Richard John Grayson to be your lawfully wedded husband, standing with him in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in hardship and in ease, to cherish and love for as long as you both shall live?"

Wally grinned up at Dick, and said, "I do."

"And do you, Richard John Grayson, take Wallace Rudolph West to be your lawfully wedded husband, standing with him in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in hardship and in ease, to cherish and love for as long as you both shall live?"

Dick returned the grin. "I do."

"The couple has chosen to write their own vows," the celebrant said.

Wally started his first, squeezing Dick's hands. "From the moment we met, I knew you'd be a huge part of my life. You were this tiny, _tiny_ little grouch, trying so hard to be like Bruce. Well, that's what I thought anyway, up until I realised you'd stuck a _kick me_ sign on my back without me noticing." The room tittered, Dick among them. He remembered that. Wally had said something that annoyed him enough to stop trying to be taken seriously. "Once Barry stopped laughing at me and I got over being one-upped by an eleven-year-old, I knew we'd have to meet again. Things haven't always been easy between us, but I'm glad you're here with me to start this new chapter of our lives, and I promise I will always be there for you through everything we could possibly face."

Then it was Dick's turn. "I'd already been living in Gotham for a few years before we met, and I'd had some time to come to terms with everything that had changed after I lost my family. Sorry to bring down the mood," he said as an aside. "I didn't have a lot of friends. Public memory of how I'd come to live with Bruce was only just fading, so people were still a bit weird around me. You weren't. You called me short and ran away when I threatened to punch you, and then came back laughing at the top of your lungs like you thought you were the funniest person in the world. So of course I had to one-up you with the _kick me_ sign. You brought a lot of joy and laughter into my life that had been hard to come by, living in this house. I've been in love with you since we were kids, and I swear to always be by your side no matter what this world throws at us."

"May I have the rings?" said the celebrant. Damian stepped forward with the pillow. "Wallace and Richard's rings signify the bond of love forged between their hearts. Wallace, repeat after me: I give you this ring as a token of my love."

"I give you this ring as a token of my love," Wally repeated, sliding the wedding ring onto Dick's finger.

"Richard, repeat after me: I give you this ring as a token of my love."

Dick repeated the words for himself, sliding the ring onto Wally's finger. His hands shook a little. His heart was going to explode.

"By the power invested in me," said the celebrant, "I now pronounce you married. You may now kiss each other."

Dick and Wally didn't have to be told twice. Wally pulled him in by the waist, and Dick pulled Wally the rest of the way by the shoulders. Their lips met to applause. And rice. Dick brushed some out of Wally's hair as everybody filed down to the ballroom. They'd decided to have the reception open to a larger group, particularly the media, though Bruce had sent word down to the various companies releasing them of that responsibility in favour of reporting on the weather damage. Dick wasn't sure many would take him up on that, though.

It would take some time for the reception to start properly, so Dick and Wally took a few minutes to themselves in their room after promising Alfred they'd be down in five minutes.

Dick sat on the edge of the bed, chuckling a little when some rice dislodged from his hair and fell on the floor. Oh, Alfred was going to _love_ that.

"So you're definitely okay?" Wally asked him, sitting down beside him. "We didn't have time to really talk things out before the ceremony."

"I am," Dick replied. "Did you want to visit the cemetery with me later? I wanna introduce you as my husband."

"Of course, babe," Wally said gently, leaning into him until their heads were pressed together. Dick smiled and closed his eyes, just letting himself enjoy the moment. Despite everything that had gone wrong, this was definitely right. Marrying Wally had been right.

"Did you hear Cassandra read that poem?" Dick asked after a while.

"I did. I was there."

Dick elbowed him, laughing way louder than the situation really warranted, but joy was spilling out of him everywhere and he just couldn't help it. "She was great. I'm so proud of her. And Damian. I mean, you know he's a little possessive of me sometimes but he took today like a champ."

"I'm just waiting for the fallout," Wally replied. "Sorry."

"I'll see what I can do," Dick promised. "I talked to him earlier so I've got a feel for the situation. As long as I'm around here enough, he'll be okay. So we don't get to run away together once the honeymoon's over, 'kay?"

"Well, darn. There go my plans for your birthday."

Dick chuckled and peppered Wally's cheek with kisses. His heart was going to jump straight out of his body and float up into the sky at this rate.

Wally caught Dick by the chin, and pecked him on the lips. "Well, Mr Grayson-West, I think we should start heading down to the reception."

Dick kissed him back. "In a minute. I'm not done kissing you."

* * *

 **A/N: In case you missed it, the text of the song Cassandra read out was called "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I didn't know it was a song when I first found it, hence why it's treated as a poem in the text. The song itself is pretty nice, if cheesy, but this is a wedding so cheesy has its place.**


	27. Day 27: On One of Their Birthdays

**A/N: This one is M-rated.**

* * *

 **Day 27: On One of Their Birthdays**

Dick hung back as members of the Justice League and the covert ops team gathered around to watch Wally—dressed as Kid Flash—open his veritable mountain of presents, smirking quietly to himself. His mask hid the mischief in his eyes. His present wasn't in the pile, but Wally didn't know that yet. He'd find out soon enough, and it would eat at him, but he wouldn't ask Dick about it in front of everyone. His curiosity would get the better of him eventually, probably at the tail end of the party, and he would pull his husband aside. Until then, however, Dick's lips were sealed.

He'd probably start laughing if he opened his mouth, because this was going to be _great_. He couldn't believe his own genius, really. It had taken him months to perfect his gift, but it was finally ready. And just in time.

Wally unwrapped Bruce's gift. A new portable microscope, since Wally sometimes liked to take his work home. And Dick hadn't even needed to whisper in Bruce's ear this time.

"You're learning," he whispered to the hulking shape of black by his side. "Keep this up and your reputation as the legendary terror of the night will fly right out the window." Bruce grunted in response.

Wally got to the end of his presents. He frowned for a second, before his features smoothed out and M'gann distracted him with cake. Now it was only a matter of time.

Barbara brought Dick a slice of cake. "You're looking pleased with yourself."

"Am I? I hadn't noticed."

" _Right_." Barbara dug a spoon into her cake. "Your present is the only one not accounted for."

"That's by design," Dick replied, licking his spoon.

"Of course it is. You're not panicking. Besides, I've got access to your search history."

"Of course you do." Dick felt his cheeks heat up, but he pretended they hadn't. "I trust in your discretion, Barb."

Barbara snorted. "I'll turn off the cameras in your apartment tonight. Just in case."

"Thanks for not sticking one in our bedroom. Or the bathroom."

"Even I have limits. And I learned the hard way not to put microphones in people's bedrooms years ago."

Dick decided not to indulge his curiosity. "I don't want to know."

Barbara's answering smirk was a little worrying.

* * *

Later, Dick and Wally returned to their apartment, back in their civvies. Wally hadn't said anything yet, but he'd crack any moment now. Dick locked the door behind them.

"You've been very patient tonight," he said.

Wally raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly would I need to be patient about?"

"Who knows?" Dick replied. "Maybe I just forgot your birthday."

"You don't forget birthdays, babe," Wally said. "Our anniversary? Yes. Birthdays? Never."

"We both forgot our anniversary last time," Dick said.

Wally snorted. "Our first wedding anniversary. What a trainwreck."

"It turned out okay. We're pretty good at improvising."

Wally's eyes grew distant for a moment. "Hmm. We are."

Dick knew exactly where his mind was, and the memory of their anniversary left him a little hot under the collar himself. "All right. Game's over." Dick took his hand and led him to the bedroom, where a box sat on the bed. Dick had wrapped it in yellow paper and secured it with a red ribbon. Wally went ahead to examine it, while Dick leaned against the doorway to watch him, feeling pretty proud of himself for sneaking out of the party to place it there without Wally noticing.

"Should I be worried?" asked Wally. He picked the box up and shook it a little. It made no noise. Dick had padded the inside.

"I thought I'd give you something to spice up our marriage a bit," Dick said.

Wally pulled the ribbon. "I swear to God if this is just a jar of paprika..."

"Oh, you're so funny."

"I try." Wally got his thumbs into a fold and unwrapped the paper. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like that?" Dick said innocently.

"Like you're going to eat me alive." Wally got the wrapping paper off and started on the box itself.

"Well, maybe if you didn't taste so good..."

Wally snorted. He reached into the box and:

"You bought me a vibrator."

"Yes and no," Dick replied, grinning at Wally's incredulous expression. "I modified it."

"Those are the three scariest words in the English language, babe."

"It's safe, I promise," Dick replied. "I ran stress tests."

"Of course you did," Wally muttered.

Dick stepped into the room proper and joined Wally on the bed. "Hey, if you don't like it..."

"No, that's not it." Wally rolled the vibrator around in his hands. "I'm just wonder what you're planning to do to me with this."

Dick plucked it from Wally's fingers and poked him in the thigh. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"And now I'm terrified."

Dick climbed into Wally's lap. "Well, I'll have to do something about that, won't I?" He mashed their lips together, smiling into the kiss at Wally's answering groan.

Wally's fingers dug into Dick's hips. "Gonna tell me your evil plans yet?"

"Maybe. Say _please_."

"Fine. Please."

"All right." Dick fiddled with the hem of Wally's shirt. "You see, I'm spoiled."

"That's not news."

"Shh." Dick poked his cheek. "I'm very fortunate that my husband has a certain set of superpowers. And that he's willing to use them for... extracurricular activities."

Wally looked down at the vibrator in Dick's hand. "Oh. I see where this is going."

Dick grinned. "I knew you'd catch on. You've gotten very good at the vibrating thing. _Very_ good." Dick and Wally shared a look. Dick could vividly remember the last time Wally had pulled out that particular ability of his. It had only been a few days ago, after all.

Wally nibbled on Dick's neck, his hands wandering south.

"Anyway," Dick gasped. "It's about time I returned the favour. I had to modify the motor to work faster than anything on the market, and had to replace some materials to make it— _ah._ " Wally had slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of Dick's jeans.

"You've convinced me," Wally whispered.

"Then get your clothes off." Dick helped Wally pull his shirt off. Wally finished disrobing at super-speed, while Dick found the lubricant in a nightstand drawer. Wally was already hard, as was Dick, but tonight was about Wally.

Dick climbed back on the bed, grinning from ear-to-ear. This was going to be the best birthday Wally ever had.


	28. Day 28: Doing Something Ridiculous

**Day 28: Doing Something Ridiculous**

Batman surveyed the carnage from his vantage point—the highest rooftop in the area—and decided Bruce was psychic. He'd travelled overseas for a very important mission literally the day before this nonsense had started, and was supremely unhelpful every time Dick called him for advice on how to deal with... _this_.

"I needed a longer honeymoon," he muttered, watching the red and gold blur of his husband fending off the human-shaped blobs of sentient food that some asshole magician had created a few hours ago.

"I second that." The Flash slowed down for a second, just long enough for Batman to get a good view of his tightened mouth, the only indicator of his obvious emotional distress. "Betrayed by _food_. What the hell?"

"Sounds like something an evil psychoanalyst would cook up to torture you," Batman replied. "I should probably check the Scarecrow's still in Arkham."

"Or you could get down here and _help me for God's sake_."

"I'm planning."

The Flash mowed down a blob of ice cream. "I am _not_ cleaning all this up once it starts getting fragrant."

"I'll sweet-talk Zatanna for you." Batman needed to coordinate with her anyway. "Zatanna, you busy?"

Zatanna's voice crackled a little through the communicator. "Not really. Trying to hunt down the cause of all this. Need a hand?"

"The Flash is getting emotional," Batman replied. "Have you found a way to neutralise the magician's spell?"

"Yep. Coming your way."

"Thanks. We'll help you deal with the magician. Got any plans on how to clean all this up?"

"I'm working on it." Zatanna burst onto the street below. " _Doof emoceb etaminani_." All the food in the area lost its human shape and collapsed on the ground.

Batman shot a grapple line and joined the Flash and Zatanna on the ruined street, side-stepping squashed piles of gross on the way.

"I wanna go back to the beach," the Flash groaned. "This is the _worst_."

"You got sunburnt," Batman reminded him. "You complained about it every day."

"And then you rubbed lotion on me." The Flash's eyebrows were invisible beneath his cowl, but Batman could almost _feel_ them waggling.

Batman sighed. "Now's not the time. Let's catch this guy first. Which way, Zee?"

Zatanna very charitably pretended that part of the conversation never happened. "Follow me. If you've got a strong stomach."

They found the magician holed up in an ice cream shop. Zatanna neutralised his ice cream guards with little effort and the Flash kicked the magician in the face. The guy went down immediately. Batman didn't even need to be there, to be perfectly honest.

Zatanna prodded the unconscious magician with her boot. "Psh. Amateur."

A flurry of voices exploded in the communicator in Batman's ear.

"Is it over?"

"That was... anticlimactic."

"I'm never eating tacos again."

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

Zatanna grabbed a crystal charm off the magician's belt. "Ah. Of course. The guy wasn't powerful enough by himself. Remind me to tell Madame Xanadu to screen her customers more carefully. On the upside, I can use this to make cleaning up a breeze. Did you want any samples to analyse?"

"I think we can safely chalk this one down to magical weirdness," Batman replied. "So no. I'll deal with the boss if he complains." Bruce hadn't responded to his messages, so it was his own damn fault.

"All right." Zatanna raised the crystal. " _Evomer lla secart fo eht ylremrof tneitnes doof_."

The melting ice cream on the floor vanished.

"This is officially the most ridiculous mission we've had all year," said the Flash. "Can we go now?"

"I need speedsters to repair as much property damage as they can first," Batman replied. "Go find your cousin. I'll meet you back at the Watchtower."

The Flash groaned but obeyed.

"I'll give them a hand," Zatanna replied, stepping out onto the street.

"Hey, Zee?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for your help today."

"Anytime."

* * *

The debrief back at the Watchtower didn't take long. No one felt like dwelling on the events of the day.

Batman linked his arm through the Flash's as everyone dispersed. "So, feel like grabbing some ice cream?"

The Flash groaned. "No. I'm swearing off ice cream forever. And you're an asshole."

Batman laughed, which earned him a few surprised looks. Everyone knew who was under the cowl, but it was still jarring to hear.

"How about tacos?"

"No."

"Or—"

"Nothing we saw today," the Flash replied tiredly. Batman patted his arm, and gently steered him in the direction of the zeta tube.

"Okay. Wanna take a zeta to France? I think frog legs and snails should be pretty safe."

"Let's do it."

"I was joking."

"I know."

Batman programmed the zeta tube to take them home. "All right, then. Let's find something nice to wear."

"Let's just take a second honeymoon in France." The Flash stepped into the tube and disappeared. Batman followed and jumped on the Flash's back to run to their shared apartment.

"Tempting," Batman said, "but Bruce and Damian will definitely team up and kidnap me. Tim and Barbara won't help. Jason and Steph will probably laugh."

The Flash skidded to a halt by the fire escape and Batman shot a line to the roof. He held on while Batman pulled them both up.

"What would Cass do?" the Flash asked.

Batman popped open a hatch he'd secretly installed when he started spending more than a few nights here. "She'll probably laugh. She and Steph are joined at the hip these days." They slipped inside, landing in the bedroom and started removing their costumes.

Wally, of course, finished changing first. "Okay, no second honeymoon. But we are spending the night in France and we are _not_ taking calls."

Dick released the various buttons and latches and zips on his suit. "Deal. Bruce has a small safehouse in Paris we could use. I'll just make sure he's not there first." He finally got the damn thing off him.

Wally handed him a change of clothes, kissing Dick's knuckles. "Sounds like a plan. It's not gonna be creepy in there, is it?"

"It looks like a house, mostly," Dick replied, zipping up his pants. "There's a mini-batcave underneath the building, but that's as creepy as it gets."

"Wait."

Dick paused on the way to grabbing his shirt. "What?"

"Your abs are distracting me."

Dick smirked. "Are they now?"

Wally dragged Dick towards him by the waistband of his pants. "Sex first?"

"Let's try to get to the bed this time."

Wally lifted Dick into his arms. "No promises."


End file.
